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<title>Two Wrongs Make One Right: A DDLC x Clannad x YLIA Story by Reathi</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24075913">Two Wrongs Make One Right: A DDLC x Clannad x YLIA Story</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reathi/pseuds/Reathi'>Reathi</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Clannad, Doki Doki Literature Club! (Visual Novel), 四月は君の嘘 | Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso | Your lie in April</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Action &amp; Romance, Anime Crossover - Freeform, Anime crossovers, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Bonding, Canon Rewrite, Comedy, Crossovers &amp; Fandom Fusions, Death, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, F/M, Family Issues, Flashbacks, Friendship, High School, Moral Lessons, Multiple Crossovers, Original Character(s), Past Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Rescue, Romance, Slice of Life, Slow Romance, Swearing, Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 20:40:05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>73,620</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24075913</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reathi/pseuds/Reathi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Wanting to escape the clutches of his torment at home, a certain high-school student jumps as the opportunity for a fresh start in a new country. The choice is odd, but also calculated as he has wanted this chance for his whole life, to finally escape from his problems. However, with a new country comes new cultures and people, along with the realization of the cowardice of running away, instead of standing and fighting for a change. Did he make the right decision? Who will guide him on his new journey? Will there be a repeat of his life back home? Only time, experiences and the people he meets along the way call tell him the answer.</p><p>(a/n):</p><p>What might confuse people at first is the use of multiple prologues, even though it might not seem important at first, I feel like they’re essential to setting up the scene for the main character as he makes his way throughout life as he knows it.</p><p>TLDR: Slow-burn romance fanfic, combining 3 anime's into one.</p><p>I hope you guys will enjoy my work and watch my writing career with great interest!</p><p>[on hiatus... for now ;)]</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Natsuki &amp; Protagonist (Doki Doki Literature Club!)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue 1: Who I am</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I lounge in my plastic chair finishing my homework. I swear, calculus must have been the one thing god allowed the Devil to create in this world, I chuckle to myself as I close my textbook. I whip out my phone and plug in my old earbuds I got a while back for my birthday. I open my phone and play some music, a world to escape to beyond this wretched place.</p><p>	I was about to relax when I heard a loud slam against my door.</p><p>	“PETER!” my mom exclaimed. “WHAT ARE THESE FUCKING DISHES STILL DOING IN THE SINK?” </p><p>I sigh and get up to leave. “I don’t know maybe if someone was doing their job properly, we wouldn’t still be here, in a sorry ass excuse for a place, right?” I yelled back. </p><p>My mom shrieks and swings open my door. “YOU BETTER GET YOUR SORRY ASS OUT HERE, BEFORE I SEND YOU TO A GOD-DAMN ORPHANAGE.” I push my mom aside as I exit my room. I would much prefer to be at an orphanage, I would much prefer to be anywhere. My mom glares at me, like a wolf eyeing it’s prey, but says nothing. </p><p>I creak open the rusty sink as water starts to pour out. I grab a sponge and fill the soap bottle with water and get washing. I look out the window and see my mom’s reflection sitting on our couch, injecting herself with a needle filled with whatever junk was in there now.</p><p>Living in downtown Baltimore is… as how I should put it… isn’t the greatest life. I’ve been here mostly all my life, and was homeless for a couple of months after getting into an argument with my deadbeat excuse for a dad. I know what he does, wearing a dirty hoodie, carrying a duffle bag with bags of green poking out, replaced with green bills when coming home. Like he ever comes ho-</p><p>	The door opens as I see David walk through the entrance. “Speak of the motherfucking devil” I thought. I don’t call him “Dad”, he’s more just “David” to me. Compared to Mom, who’s around all the time, though I wish none of them were here.</p><p>He takes off his hoodie and drops the duffle bag from his right hand. On the left with no surprise, a whole six-pack of Corona Extra. My mom’s passed out or in a daze on the couch as David cracks open a cold one on the couch and watches TV. He downs a full swig of that beer as he’s rolling a blunt.</p><p>	I blast my music through my earbuds and as I finish doing the dishes and dry them. I couldn’t hear anything but my music. I didn’t want anything to do with this family. The moldy walls, the breaking floors, the sorry excuse for a dad, a deadbeat druggy for a mom, and don’t even get me started with my sister, that piece of shit is nothing but a nuisance to everyone. Just like me.</p><p>	A single tear sheds down my cheeks as I open the door to my room to gather a change of clothes. I place my phone on my bed with my music as I pick up a plain white shirt and some pants and head to the shower to wash up. I take off my school clothes and open the shower, or whatever it is. </p><p>	The bathroom is more of a… landfill then anything, not that there’s shit everywhere, but our shower and toilet share the same… location and function. </p><p>I grab the bar of soap and start scrubbing myself when the door slams open. I see an image I see quite often as a naked David motions me to get out of the shower. I would usually argue with this man, but with that look of annoyance and that empty beer bottle in his hand, I just gather my things and head to the kitchen, bumping shoulders on the way with David on the way out while keeping the bar of soap hidden in my clothes. “Like soap’s going to clean this man anyway” I say to myself. </p><p>	And with a loud crack I see beer bottle shards on the ground. I glance up to see a vexed David glaring at my direction as he charges towards me. I look around and panic and kick him to the ground, throwing myself and my clothes into the kitchen, slipping on the bar of soap and stubbing my now bleeding toe. He dashes towards me, but I slam the kitchen door on time as he bangs and exclaims on the other side.</p><p>“YOU GET BACK HERE AND APOLOGIZE AND TREAT ME WITH RESPECT! I DON’T KNOW WHAT’S GOTTEN INTO YOU FELLA BUT BY THE TIME I BREAK DOWN THIS DOOR, YOU’RE GONNA BE in a woooorld of hur-.” I hear a loud thud on the other side, followed by snores. I get back up and bathe myself using cups and the water from the sink. I don’t shut the blinds to the window, I want everyone to see the situation that I am in, I want this whole world, to see what my life really is. I look out the window, yearning for a life better than the one I have, I'll take anything, anyone, just not these people. </p><p>It takes I don’t even know how long for me to finish. My toe is bleeding as I grab a paper towel to dry it and my whole body off. I like the pain while showering, the water helps me to cover the tears I shed on a daily basis.</p><p>After I finish, I creak open the door slowly to see David drop through to the kitchen, with the other half of his body on the living room floor. I carefully step over him and into my room. I, now changed, grabbed my phone with the music still playing while rolling my clothes into a ball and chucking it into a clothes basket. </p><p>“Kobe!” I whisper to myself and the clothes go clean into the basket. At least here in Baltimore, there’s basketball I guess, but it was really just a hobby. I close and make sure to lock the door to my room as I open my window. I don’t have the luxuries of fan’s or AC’s, but sometimes I think that the sound of nature and gusts of wind are enough for me, but I wouldn’t mind a chilly breeze.</p><p>I pack my things for school tomorrow as I lay on my bed, phone charging to the left with the earbuds still in my head. I lay down on my back and stare at the ceiling and close my eyes. </p><p>“Is this what I really wanted?” I thought to myself. “Is this who I truly was meant to be? 16 years of age with this? There’s not much I can do really, just get good grades and go to any university willing to offer me a full ride I guess.” I take the earbuds out of my head to listen to the sounds of the outer world, the nightlife of cars, the sounds of the winds, the walking of the people, the sounds of screams and gunshots ringing throughout the dark night. I fall asleep with tears streaming down my face. This is my life now I presumed, this is who I am, this is me.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Prologue 2: A Desperate Decision</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I awake to the sound of my alarm from my phone with a “Get The Fuck Up” message sprawled on it. I begrudgingly get up and turn off my alarm. I unlock my door to see David still passed out from yesterday’s endeavour. I walk towards the bathroom when I see my sister, Kate, in her bed sleeping with a man. “Blonde now bald? What’s next, David?” I remark to myself as I go to the bathroom and shut the door. I brush my teeth while taking a piss and clean myself up. “Another day, same result.” I said quietly.</p><p>I walked out and looked at the clock. It read 6:33. School doesn’t start until 8 so I'll manage. I enter my room to see a red stain on the foot of my bed. I glance down to see my toe, red but still able to bleed. I grabbed a kleenex box and wrapped a small portion of tissue around my toe as I dressed myself for school. Here in the US, most public schools allow free dress but somehow, someway, whether it was my mom or David sleeping and/or boning the admissions officer, I got into a private school. Not that I really cared anyway. I grabbed my belongings and plugged in my earbuds and went on my way.</p><p>School was something I also did not enjoy. Even though my grades were all A’s, I didn’t care much. I had no friends and all my peers didn’t even seem to notice I even existed. As I walked to school I went into a local convenience store and picked up a protein and energy bar. I paid what little money I had left (gathered from odd jobs and vending machines), and went on my way.</p><p> Kids, whether walking to my school or bumping into me would avoid me or get out of my way entirely. My build wasn’t exactly a Ronnie Coleman or an Arnold Schwarzenegger, but I stood around 6 feet with shoes and a mix between a muscular and toned build as I hit the gym everyday after school, wanting a release from all of whatever “this” was. Needless to say, wearing my school’s uniform, which was the same from last year’s didn’t exactly help me to look “baggy” either. Maybe it was my silver-ish gray hair? Perhaps people thought I was older then I actually was, but I don’t even bother.</p><p>I see lots of kids on the steps on the way to school. I walked quietly and silently as well. I went through the door to the vast atrium of students. I looked at the clock. “7:30” it read. I went up to my first biology class and sat and placed my bag next to my desk and pulled out my phone. Today's assignment was a presentation about Biology in other aspects of life, such as entertainment like films or movies. I took out my laptop I had borrowed from the school and placed it on top of my desk. </p><p>Kids started to file in during my leisure time. The bell rang as the teacher stood up and called for attendance. One by one she called the names off and put down his clipboard. </p><p>“As you know students, today is your guys’s presentation about the essence of examples of biology in other forms of media!” The class groaned as I stayed silent. “Any volunteers?” The teacher asked while panning across the room. Everyone diverted their eyes from the teacher including me. He sighed and took out a wheel of all of our names. Knowing my luck, it’ll probably land on me.</p><p>The teacher spun the wheel as it landed on me from a brief second before ticking to the next name. </p><p>“Alright Jack!” The teacher exclaimed with joy. The students looked at Jack as he picked up his laptop to connect to the projector. I sat back and watched his presentation about something about scientists turning themselves into pickles or whatever, I didn’t bother. I was so out of it that the teacher had to practically yell my name when it was my turn. I picked up my laptop to connect it to the projector. </p><p>	My presentation was about the numerous scientists throughout movies though I didn’t bother much. I finish my presentation and the class claps for me. I take my laptop and sit back down as the bell rings and class ends. I pack my stuff up and leave out the door, when I accidentally bump into the principal and counselor talking.</p><p>	“Sorry about that.” I say to them. They look at me with smiles and say “No worries, we were just talking about you!” “Oh, about what?” I answer back curiously. “Something that you might be interested in!” They both say in unison. I look awkwardly and kindly divert my eyes from them. “After school my office ok?” The principal chimes up. I nod reassuringly and head off my own way. I walk away and down the hallway.</p><p>	The counselor is a weird fellow. Somebody students, including myself, avoid. We tend to just cringe or just awkwardly respond to her, even though I know she’s trying her best. The principal however, is treated with the utmost “respect” but I know better. Faking or hiding emotions is quite an easy thing to do.</p><p>	The rest of the classes are a breeze, mostly because the teachers just babbles on and on about the subject. The only course I really take interest in is Japanese. But it’s a self-taught class with only me teaching well… myself. The school offers other languages but I passed, as I was always interested in Japanese culture and entertainment.</p><p>	When school ended and the familiar ring of the bell came upon us, I headed up to the top floor to the Principal's office. Sprawled on a plaque outside the door says “Principal Miner.” I knock on the door to signal my invitation to enter. </p><p>	“Come in!” he says loudly. Jesus has this guy had 3 coffees mixed with RedBull or some shit? I enter into the brightly lit room filled with posters, medals, plaques, trophies, awards you name it. Whenever I came to his office (which was very rarely), I always thought to myself “oh my fucking god.” This man, although a clown most of the time, was really an accomplished man on the inside and outside. </p><p>“Oh you can just leave your belongings there” he said as he pointed to his coat rack. I dropped my bag and sat down in the wooden chair across from his mahogany desk.</p><p>	“Well Peter, academically, your grades are exceeding mostly everyone’s here at BPHS (Baltimore Private High School), and well, the teachers, had nothing bad to say about you at all, other than you needing to pay more attention in class and to speak up more. However, in terms of a societal person, you seem to be quite shy and very quiet around others, always… keeping to yourself so to say, and uh… tell me, is everything ok at your household?”</p><p>	I look down to the shag carpet, avoiding his question. He stands up and walks around me, observing and looking at me. I get a bit agitated but i’m more confused than ever. He sits down and sighs. “Those bruises and cuts weren’t from Muay Thai or baseball were they? Or even cooking.” I try to say something but the words just don’t come out. I sense tears coming to my eyes but I quickly blink them away to no avail. </p><p>	The Principal looks at me concerningly and speaks. “I can infer about what’s going on at your household, Peter.” I try to say something but man, what the hell is going on? Why won’t the words come out?</p><p>“Well… I'm giving you an opportunity here. With your academic record it should be no problem obviously.” He said satisfyingly.</p><p>“Along with your talents such as for instance, your superb drumming performance of Caravan in the music concert, or your quite stellar vocal skills. Oh and that amazing Steak au Poivre you prepared as well during our annual school cookoff!” I smiled weakly as he winked.</p><p> “Sorry if I got distracted. He said laughingly. “Solely academically, which is the main focus here obviously, if one is to study at your level and heights, one must study all its aspects, not just the dogmatic view of the education system.” We both crack a slight chuckle at that one.</p><p>“Trust me, it pains me to say that, but truthfully, you have such a potential highway of goodcomings ahead of you, with all your talents hidden within you whether that being cooking, baseball, singing, drumming or Muay Thai or whatever, paired with your intellect, one thing I hate to the absolute core is wasted potential.” </p><p>“And that’s why I'm offering you this deal.”</p><p>My ears perk up and I listen intently. “A deal…? What are you talking about Mr. Miner?”</p><p>Mr. Miner speaks up. “Well… we’ve recently partnered up with schools across the globe, transferring multiple students elsewhe-”</p><p>“WHERE DO I SIGN UP?!” I exclaim while jolting up. I am taken aback by my outburst and sit down quickly while apologizing profusely to him. He doesn’t seem fazed at all though. He just laughs and says “Woah woah woah let me finish haha, but i’m glad you’re finally excited about something.”</p><p>‘With this program, we send students across the globe, whether that be in Australia, the UK, Asia, and that’s where you come in.” I look at him intently with my interest being oddly exceeding.</p><p>“So, me and the teachers, during our latest conference together, decided that you would be the best bet for this action. Where you would basically, move, get out of the house, fly solo so to speak and live by yourself in a whole new environment. We have observed you Peter, quite a lot lately and with your academic skill set and your social uhh… partakings, we wanted to offer you to select any place you would want to be transferred to, all paid for, including plane ticket, tuition, everything, with a 1000 USD per month allowance.”</p><p>“So, similar to a scholarship sort of thing, but instead with amenities?” I ask.</p><p>“Basically like that, but granted the place you will be staying at is not the best, quite small actually but it will fit just you quite well I presume.” He says as he laughs for a bit. </p><p>“All we need from you, is to select where you want to go.”</p><p>Those magic words. Those blessings of dialogue. He gets up and points to a giant map. I get up and look and glance at the big world map. I want to make this decision worthwhile as I might be staying there permanently or for a very long time. “The UK?” I think to myself, so many options….</p><p>“If you want more time, I didn’t mean to pressure you so much” He says quickly. “It’s ok.” I say back “I know where I want to go.”</p><p>“You do? That quickly? Well, that quick decision making must be from all your time practicing your Muay Thai eh?”</p><p>I give a light chuckle as he hands me a meter stick from his wall. I take it with ease and move to the right of him. He stands back and watches me as my eyes light up and points the meter stick on the map. He gives a surprised look, then gives a light chuckle.</p><p>“Japan huh?” he says. “A very interesting choice.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Prologue 3: A Single Hint</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Me and Principal Miner talked about the contract business and all the other things, but we got it sorted out eventually. Took a long ass time though, probably was in there for 4 hours. The language barrier wouldn’t be much of an issue in school, as I am going to a english-speaking school and studied enough Japanese. I also think I have prepared myself enough for the outside life out of school where I live.</p><p>I pick up my bag, shake hands with the principal as he pokes me in the heart area. </p><p>“I know it’s a new place and all, so try to lighten up and explore a bit ok?” He says worryingly. “It might just fix your problems with you know… the rain storms-“</p><p>I cut him off. “It’s ok Mr. Miner. I’ll try.” I say back.</p><p>I turn around and wave goodbye to the Principal as he waves back and smiles while saying goodbye to me while I exit his room.</p><p>“Remember! Your flight is tomorrow at 11PM!” He yells. </p><p>I nod and walk down towards the now dark hallways and onto the streets of downtown. I head towards the gym to workout for 2 hours then wash up after. I then proceeded to head back to my wretched, some would call it “home.” On my way back, past an abandoned garbage filled plot of land, I see a newly opened bread store that has a sale going on.</p><p>I open the door as the bell chimes on my way in. It’s quite empty with only a few people browsing with some taking some food. I stroll around the vast amount of selections when I come across something that catches my eye.</p><p>It was a single frosted red-velvet cupcake on a tray. Looks like it’s other brethren were taken away with only this one left. I opened my wallet to see I still had 2 dollars and 39 cents left. “Fuck it.” I say to myself, “might as well enjoy myself with the events today right?” I grab the cupcake and pay the cashier 1 dollar and 30 cents and head out on my way, not forgetting to pick up a couple extra napkins and paper bags. I could always use what I could get for free.</p><p> I took a bite out of the frosted cupcake and my mouth basically orgasmed. It was something I had never tasted before! So, rich and creamy, nothing like the shit at my home!</p><p>I gobble down the cupcake faster than the speed of a fighter jet and clean myself with the napkin I had taken. I throw away the cupcake wrap into a trash bin and head on my way home. Secretly, I had always been fond of cupcakes, but baking was always something I was subpar at. Except for Berger Cookies. Everyone in Baltimore knows Berger Cookies.</p><p>But getting ingredients was harder for me then trying to pay attention in class, but with a new start… I look forward to my next adventure.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Prologue 4: The Silver Lining</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I reach back to my rundown apartment building and open the massive oak doors that lead to the lobby. Dark, dusty, only one of the headlights working, this was all normal to me. I press the button for the elevator and step inside and press floor 15. I lean back against the walls of the clammy box. I pull out my phone to start playing some music when some scrawny looking man steps through the elevator doors at floor 13. He’s wearing a crimson red blazer from the back with green hair arching down to collar level with… clown paint on his face? I shrug it off as a typical normal person here when he spots my eyeing him by the reflection of the glossy elevator doors.</p><p>“Joker.” The man says. I pull out one of my earbuds and give him a dead stare at the reflection of him by the elevator doors. </p><p>“Excuse me?” I say back.</p><p>He looks at me through the reflection, but says nothing. The DING of the elevator indicates my time to leave and I do so with him stepping out of the way courteously. I’m left annoyed but confused at the same time, but I downplay it as nothing. </p><p>I open the door to my dank apartment to find a trail of articles of clothing in a trail leading to my sister’s bedroom. I listen as I hear the loud creaks of the wooden pegs of the bed scraping against the old dusty floorboards. I put it in my earbuds and walk towards my room. I close the door and drop my things onto the floor and start to unpack. I start semi-dancing around the room when I hear loud knocks at my room door.</p><p>I drop my phone and earbuds onto my bed and open the door. There stands my blonde sister. About 1 inch taller than me, arching across my door. I give her a blank stare as she pulls out one of her hands and beckons me for money.</p><p>“20 Bucks. Right now.” She demands.</p><p>I give her an angry look as she stares right into my eyes. I look down to avoid her and signal my disinterest.</p><p>“Look I don’t even have 5 dollars.” I protest back. “Besides, you’re with so many guys that i’m starting to think you're my mom, shouldn’t he pay yo-”</p><p>I feel a hand unexpectedly smack me right across my face as I stumble back. I see a large bald man standing beside my sister. In a blind fit of rage, I leap across my room to the considerably muscular and taller man, as with my training experience I had a hope that this man was just all muscle, but to no avail. He grabs my arm like a twig and lifts me up.</p><p>“Ohohoho, looks like we got a fighter here!” He says. My sister just chuckles and pushes me aside and digs underneath my bed. She finds a shoebox where I had hidden all the spare change I collected over the past few months and waves a 50 dollar bill in my face cunningly with a smug look on her face and walks out of my room and away. </p><p>“Give that shit back!” I yell.</p><p>The man takes one good look at my sister and says nothing as my sister gives an approving nod. He then punches me right in the gut and face, sending me flying back and crashing into my bed end. The last thing I see is him and my sister laughing as they slam the door to my room menacingly, and my eyes closing automatically.</p><p>I awake to a throbbing headache and a small pool of my own maroon red blood on the floor, being litten up by the silver moon gazing behind me. It takes time, but I use  my desk to get up onto my feet and stand aimlessly in my room. Tears stream down my face as something stings on the left side of my face. I pull out my phone camera to  see the cause of my bleeding and agony.</p><p>A massive cut had appeared on my left eye. I start to panic and rush to the bathroom to wipe the wound clean. It hurts like a motherfucker, but I finish eventually. Luckily, my left eye is still functional and working as I slowly open it, but with the pain being too overbearing, I decide to keep it shut for now. I grab a towel from the bathroom sink and head towards my room to clean the mess that was prevalent on my floor. After an agonizing 15 minutes the cleaning is done and I close and make sure to lock my door from further intruders.</p><p>I pulled out what little medical equipment I had contained in a white little bag with a red cross on the front from a first aid training class a while back at the school and looked over what I had. Some gauze, medical tape, a square stack of cloths, and a little bottle of iodine. </p><p>“This is going to hurt like a bitch.” I said under my breath.</p><p>I grabbed what little medical supplies I had and unlocked the door to my room. I looked around to see if anyone was gonna bother me, and walked towards the bathroom, and locked myself in. I sit down on the cold hard floor and prepare myself for a world of hurt. With my hands shaking, I grab the iodine and damp the cloth with the yellow liquid. I take a deep breath in and hesitantly move the cloth to my cut. </p><p>As I put the cloth to my cut, the pain is unbearable. I scream and clench my fist so hard I thought my blood vessels were going to pop like bubble wrap. I quickly drop the cloth in shock and do some quick thinking to ease the pain. I look in the medicine cabinet for painkillers. Nothing. </p><p>“Great what fucking luck I have today.”</p><p>I grab a towel from the stand and tie it around my cheeks and head so I can at least ease a little bit of the pain. I sit back down and bring the cloth once again to my left eye. I start to dab my cut as I chomp on the towel as hard as I can, with tears streaming from both of my eyes I start hammering the concrete walls of the bathroom to relieve me from this hell. I scream and bite into the towel more and more as I continue to disinfect my eye. With the salted tears doing something for the cut at least, I hurriedly finish dabbing and disinfecting my eye. </p><p>What seems like an eternity finally comes to a halt, as my eye is now covered with a fragrant aroma of fear and pain, but cured and disinfected. I untie the cloth and slide down the concrete floor huffing and breathing heavily. The adrenaline pumping through me like I just finished a max rep at the weights. </p><p>I struggle to pack up the contents of the first aid kid due to my now prevalent similarity to arthritis however I manage. I use the sink to help carry me up as I stare at myself through the mirror. Sweating, a sore red eye, hair a mess, massive cut on my left eye surrounded by a splash of amber medicine, jaw and teeth with the strength of a baby. I just look and stare.</p><p>“I HATE IT HERE. I HATE IT HERE.” I scream to myself. I cry as the flow of tears drip into the sink. I want to punch the mirror, I want to get out of this place, “I want TO JUST PUT A FUCKING GUN TO MY HEAD AND-” I stop myself for a moment. I calm myself down as both my eyes burn from the acidity of sobbing I had created. I’m lucky, as if any of my parents were home, I most-likely wouldn’t be staring at the white sink, and instead staring down the barrel of David’s vexation.</p><p>I dry my tears with the toilet paper scrounging around and head to my room.</p><p> As I enter the room I can’t help but notice the moon glimmering over the now stained floorboard. A symbol of pain and agony, highlighted by the elegance and beauty of the night. What a weird combination, but yet so fitting. I kneel down and put back the medical supplies. I then stand up wearily and slump into my plastic chair and reach for my calculus textbook.</p><p>Even though I'm leaving quite abruptly, the school year for Japan normally starts in April as now is March. I don’t really mind the extra schooling, but it irks me a tiny bit. I would be starting the 10th grade, essentially the beginning of high school, which I was excited about.</p><p>I finish my work for the day and close the textbook. David should be home by now, but I didn’t care much. Mom was probably off dozing in her room considering the gunk she puts inside her. Kate’s probably out at a nightbar or stripclub, so looks like it’s just me.</p><p>I step outside of my room to admire and cherish the solitude I have been given. The quietness of my steps creaking against the floorboards, the dead silence around the room, only broken by the sound of the TV,  the aroma of peace in such a warring time, all the little things to be appreciated. I took a deep breath of the place that is so easily forgotten to me, but as a new chapter starts, you reflect on how you got here, the cards dealt for you, and the cards you played on the poker table of life.</p><p>I shake myself out of the trance and head to my parents room. The room is dark, the bed isn’t made, clothes on the floor, food scattered around the tabletops and my mom nowhere to be seen. I avoid such nasty places and open my parent’s cabinets. With a creak the old, wooden storage swings open, revealing a dusty suitcase behind a couple boxes filled with trash. I move the boxes out of the way and grab the suitcase. As I closed the cabinet’s doors, I stepped back and felt my foot on something hard and like hair. I stumble to the side for a bit before kneeling down and opening the flap of the bed covers. I grab the item out of the darkness and illuminate it using the moon through the barred windows.</p><p>As I looked blankly, a noose glistened in the moonlight. The texture was rough and mangly, but quite dusty. “David or mom?” I thought as I examined the snare. It took a while but I managed to unwrap the noose to stop any ideas and placed it in the cabinet’s of my parents. “Always keep a way out.” I guessed</p><p>I walked outside and onto the creaking below, rolling the suitcase to the kitchen to give it a nice clean. After 10 minutes or so the suitcase didn’t look half as bad, sure the outside was clean and wholesome, but the inside was quite the mess. I rolled the suitcase into my room and closed the door. I packed my clothes, making sure to leave 1 set out, and other necessities I needed and wanted and zipped the suitcase. I grab a small lock out of the bag and place it between the 2 zippers. I stood the suitcase up and admired it. A brand new chance.</p><p>I went to take a shower in the bathroom to clean myself up. The gushing of the water helped ease and clean the wound on my left eye, as I also avoided using soap around that area of damage. I cleaned myself up and dried myself off. I went to my room, locked the door and put on a new set of clothes. I laid on my bed and put in my earbuds. I didn’t have to go to school tomorrow, nor did I want to to begin with. I just wanted 11PM to come right now so that I can fly away. Fittingly, I turned on one of my favorite classics, and disabled my alarm. I put my hands back and the blanket up tight.</p><p>“Mmhmm.” I said as I proceeded to quietly sing. “Fly me to the moon. Let me sing among those stars.” I wonder if I actually did have any vocal talent. Music teacher always said so, the glass award on my shelf said so, but then again, the drumming award also said I had talent. So did the basketball award I had won not long ago. And the baseball one, as well as the cooking award I won. </p><p>And... so did the mangly, coarse, rough brown noose in my parent’s cabinet. Wonder how I won that.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Prologue 5: Not My Final Farewell</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I wake up to the sounds of my parents arguing over something. There’s screaming and yelling involved, coupled with items being smashed onto the ground with the sounds of cracking being emitted. I groggily open and rub my eyes and check the time.</p><p>	“2:40 PM - Friday” my phone read. I slid out of my bed covers and took off my earbuds.</p><p>The yelling was much escalated now. Not only the voices I heard of my parents, but someone else. Definitely not my sister, but the voice sounded so familiar. I opened the door quietly as to not attract any attention and peaked part of my head out to observe the spontaneous situation.</p><p>My eyes widened as I felt my whole body tense up and shake at the same time. How is that even possible? Ask the people arguing.</p><p>There he was. The same large bald man that gave me so much pain in the course of a day. My sister was sitting or rather sulking on the couch with my parents arguing with the man.</p><p>“How? HOW? How could you do something like this?” My mom yelled. “How did this even happen? Are you so fucking dense and brain-dead that you forgot what a condom was?</p><p>“I was wearing my armor!” He yelled back.</p><p>My mom glared at my sister as she was now crying quite audibly. David, with a clenched fist and an enraged expression went after my sister.</p><p>“First thing to be clear right now is that YOU are keeping the child.” David exclaimed.</p><p>“NO!” My sister yelled back.</p><p>“As much as I agree with you, we don’t have enough money for such a thing!” My mom yelled back.</p><p>This was getting quite entertaining as I decided to continue watching. My mom was going off about how bad of a woman my sister is and-</p><p>Oh fuck.</p><p>With one loud smack my mom was on the floor passed out, the bald man standing startled with his hand red with the blood pulsating within him. David was staring blindly. Fully engulfed by his rage, he ran for his room and opened his bedside drawer.</p><p>“He’s not going to, is he?” I thought.</p><p>David, with the eyes of an enraged lion pulled out his sawed off mere feet away from the man.</p><p>“Woah woah calm down, i’m sorry just put the gun away.” The man said.</p><p>“DAD! NO!” My sister yelled.</p><p>The click of the gun now audible to everyone.</p><p>“You are one motherfucking piece of shit you know that Rick?”</p><p>Oh. So his name’s Rick.</p><p>“You come into my household, threaten my life, injure my wife, knock up my baby and demand money for an abortion?” He screamed. </p><p>“DAD! PLEASE!” My sister yelled. “PLEASE NO!” </p><p>My sister ran for the gun in a fit of despair and remorse. She tried grabbing the gun from David but he was deceptively strong, but she didn’t budge either.</p><p>“GET. OFF.  ME. HONEY. WE WILL DO THIS. LATER.” He said. </p><p>	My sister didn’t heed his advice. She tugged the shotgun from David even harder now.</p><p>	“I SAID. NOT NOW-”</p><p>	A large echoing BANG went off in the room. I jumped back in shock and hit my back against my wooden bed stand as my ears were ringing from the sheer impact of the volume from the gun. I was breathing heavily. The fragments of concrete falling off the wall just outside my room. The sound of silence. The bitter tang of violence now replaced with the echoes of fear.</p><p>	I picked myself up from the ground still shaking from the inside and peered out my door. David was standing still. His shaking, sweaty red hands still gripping the brown mahogany handle of his shotgun. My sister, hand above her mouth couldn’t even say a word as she hyperventilated. </p><p>	There it was. The same shade of crimson I saw so many times throughout my life was flowing down the floorboards like a river of candy apple syrup. Rick with his body, dropped onto the floor with a loud thud, as the lower half of his head was intact, but the top half taken clean off. When looking at the scene, it looked like something straight out of the movie “Saw.”</p><p>	The silence was broken by David dropping the steel contraption onto the floor, as he put his hands on top of his head and started panicking. My sister was yelling slurs profusely at him while still on the floor crying. She picked up her phone and called 911. David was vomiting on the floor as my mom grabbed her head in a daze to see the aftermath of the fight. </p><p>My mom stood in horror as she regained herself, got up and started hitting David, calling him a dumbass and yelling at the result of his actions. I just stared and watched as the horror of my family mixed with the situation at hand bloomed like a tulip during spring. I gently surveyed the area, looking at the damage the bullet caused so close to hitting me, but luckily avoiding the deathwish. The wall that was outside my room has multiple holes in it, as cracks protruded from the little geysers of concrete dust caused by the results of David’s blind actions. </p><p>I didn’t want to get involved so I surely and quietly closed my room door and went back to sleep, or at least tried to with all the noise in the atmosphere. I put in my earbuds to cancel out the noise, and went back to my sleep.</p><p>Not long after, I heard sirens blare outside our run-down apartment. I heard the door get slammed open with police yelling “freeze!” And “hands-up!” You know, typical cop shit. Curiosity got the best of me as I slinked out of my bed and quietly opened my door.</p><p>The body was.. Gone? The blood stains were cleaned dry as if nothing had happened. I peered to my right expecting to see the bullet holes in the concrete wall but all I saw was a poster of Van Halen. </p><p>“Classic maneuvers.” I thought. Given all, my parents were quite smart when covering up traces of wrongdoing. Fucking figures.</p><p>The police were now questioning my parents as they vehemently denied everything. Talking about how the police got the wrong address and that there was nothing to see. I was confused about where my sister was as she was the one that called the police in the first place.</p><p>I stepped out of my room and into my sister’s room. She was gone. Closet open, makeup still on the desk, evidently she must’ve left either in a hurry or wanted to avoid something. I peered over to see a piece of paper sticking out, being buried beneath books and other junk. I walked over and examined it as the lamplight shone over the paper. It was clean. Quite new actually, no wrinkles or stains. I slid the paper out from beneath and saw the contents.</p><p>I peered down the paper and saw it. A bill for an abortion. I was agitated, even more furious. With this one chance I had my parents would be sent to justice, but my sister just bailed! I slid back the paper in and walked back into my room when a voice called me.</p><p>“Young Man!” The police officer called. “May I speak to you?”</p><p>I walked over to the officer. He was quite tall, around 6’2, not that muscular, clean shaven, black hair protruding from his officer cap. He spoke to me in a serious matter.</p><p>“Son. Was there a murder that took place here?”</p><p>I looked over at my parents, except mom wasn’t there. It was just David, his eyes filled with anger and hatred, glaring at me like a hawk eyeing it’s prey.  I knew if I snitched on his actions, I wouldn’t hear the end of it, and that he will continue to haunt  my life as long as he lives. But then again, he would be finally put to justice! The same me that wanted him so badly to get out of my life! FINALLY! THE MAN THAT PUT ME THROUGH SO MUCH TORTURE-</p><p>“No officer. There was no killing.”</p><p>What?</p><p>What was going on?</p><p>I looked at David, he was grinning with a sheepish look, the same look every time he sexually abused mom.</p><p>The rain-storms were back. I was both angry and saddened at the same. What was going on?</p><p>The police officer then sighed and nodded. He motioned for his buddy to leave and so they did. I felt helpless. Like I wanted to spill everything! I wanted to grab the police officer so that he could know the things that David has done! My hands, the stains, they won’t come off! The stains of everything in my life that has happened. Make it stop! The parental abuse, the memories in my head! Make it go away!</p><p>I violently shook and woke up in a sweating mess. I was breathing heavily as I opened my phone to check the time.</p><p>“7:49 PM” it read. </p><p>I rushed outside to see no police officer. No body, no blood. I went into my sister’s bedroom as the closets were still open, with the makeup as well on the desk. I saw that same piece of paper sticking out. I violently ripped it from its place, tearing a bottom piece of it. It was an abortion bill as well, submitted today just a few hours ago! I put the paper back into its place. I rushed outside when I collided with David. </p><p>Grabbing my head I rubbed it a bit when I saw that same iconic glare David had bestowed upon me. He looked down upon me uttering the words.</p><p>“Hey son.” He said aggressively. “I know you saw everything. I could see you out of the corner of my eye, you little pipsqueak.”</p><p>I stepped back in horror and froze as he approached me even closer now.</p><p>“There isn’t going to be a problem… ISN’T THERE?” He yelled as he smacked me across the right side of my face.</p><p>It was throbbing red like a beet as I covered it in fear. He stepped even closer now, mere inches away from me when his phone started ringing.</p><p>“What. Ok. I’ll be there shortly. 5 minutes.” He said in a monotone voice.</p><p>He peered down at me.</p><p>“Honestly. Such a pathetic man. I raise you to be independent and you turn out like this? You’re a sorry excuse to be my son.”</p><p>He then walked to the couch, grabbed his duffle bag from underneath the covers and walked away, slamming the door shut on his way out.</p><p>I shakingly pick myself up. Today was supposed to be a good day, but now, I just wanted out. I walked and locked myself in my room. It was now 8:01 PM as my phone read. I grabbed my pillow and cried into it for what seemed like an eternity. I didn’t care if my eyes hurt, I just wanted this to all wash off, but it won’t. The abuse, the storm-clouds, all of it, I just wanted for it to snap away. </p><p>After around 10 minutes I slowly but surely picked myself up. I got up and gathered my things. Luggage, check. Plane items, check. School items, check. Personal belongings, check.</p><p>I looked at my awards. I hesitated to take them, but ultimately decided to retrieve them from the dusty shelves. Even if I wanted a fresh start and an escape, I wanted to make sure that I would get something to remember, so as to never forget where I came from.</p><p>I looked at my now empty room. My room looked no different as there wasn’t much to begin with, but seeing it so barren, it was like the room was getting a fresh start as well. </p><p>I gathered my things and left my room, wheeling the luggage out. I took one long look at everything, even with great hatred. The dirty couch, the box TV, the broken floorboards, all of it. I looked to see my mom sleeping in the bed. I went to leave when I spotted a paper sticking out on the table. I picked it up.</p><p>“Don’t forget about us!”</p><p>	-Love, your family.</p><p>It was my mom’s handwriting. How did she know already? I guess Mr. Miner must’ve contacted her.</p><p>Paperclipped to the back was an envelope, there I saw 10, 100 dollar bills. She must’ve nicked it from David while he wasn’t looking. I pocketed the bills into my wallet and slid the note in as well while throwing the envelope away. I proceeded to the exit of my house when I took a look back.</p><p>A single tear shed my eye as the memories played back of my time here. But they were all of terror and fear. I wiped the tear away and opened the door. I rolled the luggage out as I gently closed the door. I turned around and faced the brown object.</p><p>“I won’t and will never forget.” I said to the wooden door. </p><p>I pressed the elevator button as it reached my floor. I stepped in alone, the wheels of the suitcase pressing against the metal floors. I pressed for the ground floor and waited. I then exited my apartment and opened the big oak gates. I hailed for a cab as one stopped for me. I opened the back and slid my suitcase in. I closed the hefty lid with a loud noise and slipped in the backseat of the yellow car. </p><p>“Where are you headed?” He asked.</p><p>“Oh um, the airport.” I responded back.</p><p>He nodded and started to drive. My place was relatively close to the airport, only about 15 minutes away.</p><p>I questioned why I was feeling so down leaving my place. Was it because of what happened prior? Was it because of the storm-clouds in my head? Did I really just abandon my family to the festering wastes of the life around them?</p><p>I made a promise to myself that I would come back. That I would get them out of this mess. Yes, even you mom.</p><p>Even you Kate.</p><p>And painfully… even you David.</p><p>I plugged in my headphones as I looked outside at my bygone place.</p><p>“This isn’t my final farewell.” I muttered. Not a goodbye, but rather…a see you later.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Prologue 6: A Thoughtful Moment</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I arrived at the airport at 9:01 PM. I initially expected my trip to be shorter, but of course, traffic had to arrive. It was fine though, as my flight wasn’t until 11 PM, and plus, from what i’ve heard, there’s times for the plane to fuel and land or whatever. I was completely oblivious to all this due to the fact that this was actually my first time flying. Ever. Up until now I had never experienced an airplane flight so this was all new to me.</p><p>	I took my luggage out of the compartment and paid the cab fare, without forgetting to tip him. I rolled my suitcase out and strapped on my backpack. I looked around to see where I was to go. I remember online an article said to look for an international departure terminal, so that’s where I was headed off to.</p><p>	I spotted the sign indicating the international departures were about 500m away. I took my suitcase and started rolling. With the music in my ears, the starry night sky, and the busy streets and the tall complexes, I never got to fully appreciate it here I guess. After about 5 minutes I rolled my way into the rotating glass doors of the airport. </p><p>There it was. Wow. The main terminal was massive! The massive industrial lights above, the lines of people waiting, it was huge! I admit, even though I wasn’t surprised by most things due to my nature, I was taken quite aback at the sight of the first ever airport I've been in. I took in a deep breath and exhaled happily.</p><p>“Alright.” I said. “Time for a new day.”</p><p>I looked around to see a screen indicating different counter blocks of where I was to go. I wheeled my way to the big screen. “Looks like it’s 5G. ” I said</p><p>It didn’t take long for the line to ease up. Turns out, there weren't many people going internationally, or in my line in fact, I wondered why.</p><p>Soon it was my turn to go up to the counter but I was, admittedly, so lost in my surroundings that the counter lady actually had to call me up.</p><p>“Next please!” She said mildly loud.</p><p>I was startled for a bit and walked to the counter.</p><p>“Passport and pass please.”</p><p>I handed her my online booking form and my passport. She looked quite energetic, maybe had one too many coffees I presumed.  Mid-30’s, brown hair, black eyes.</p><p>“Looks like you were quite spaced out there young man.” She said</p><p>“Yeah sorry about that.” I responded while scratching the back of my head. ‘Everything looks so… different here.”</p><p>‘First time I’m guessing then?” She said.</p><p>“Yeah. Everything is enamoring.” I said back</p><p>“Ehh… you’ll get used to it.” She responded.</p><p>I had several questions to ask so I pointed to the numerous other lines going on the same flight as me. “Why don’t those people just queue up here?” I asked.</p><p>She laughed for a bit while stamping my forms. “Well, that’s because this is a first class only line cutie.”</p><p>I was taken aback more now. “Oh! Really?!” I said.</p><p>She laughed again while handing me my items back. I put my suitcase on the roller as it waved goodbye to me and into wherever that luggage goes.</p><p>“Alright sweetie. Looks like you’re at seat 1A, Gate 12. Remember, the gate closes 20 minutes before departure. Also, there’s an exclusive lounge after the security check, just show them your boarding pass.”</p><p>I nod back and thank her.</p><p>“Oh!” She said abruptly. “There’s also some writing on the back of that form.” She said.<br/>I looked on the back of my travel form to see some writing. Looked like Mr. Miner’s writing. “I’ll take a look at it, don’t really want to read it here and hold up the line.” I said back.</p><p>She smiled and agreed with a head nod. I repacked my things and slid my boarding pass into my passport, and went on my way, heading to the massive immigration line. I placed myself at the end of the chain of people and was ready to plug in my headphones when I heard a loud alert play through the air.</p><p>“Attention all passengers of flight NH1827. The loudspeaker echoed. “Due to certain circumstances, flight NH1827 will be delayed and will depart at 12:30AM.”</p><p>I heard some groans among the people in the line but I really thought nothing of it. I’ve been waiting 14 years for this, I could wait a few more hours. I put in my earbuds and waited patiently.</p><p>Ok. The line felt like an actual 14 years, as people slowly shuffled forward to the line. I felt like sleeping during the entire time but managed to keep myself awake thanks to the loud rock music that was blasting through my earbuds. Eventually, I was able to make it through the entire ordeal and got to a counter. </p><p>“Next please.” The immigration officer said groggily.</p><p>I, now fully awake to my senses, walked to the counter. The officer was the exact opposite of the lady, I don’t even think his eyes were fully wide open.</p><p>“Passport and boarding pass please.” The immigration officer said groggily.</p><p>	I handed him the necessary items as he tapped away on his computer, made a few stamps and handed me back my things. Which I do admit, was quite fast of him.</p><p>	I thanked him and walked to a dreadful line of people waiting at the security items check. I was legitimately flabbergasted as the size of the line, but I’ll manage. I walked to the back, and waited.</p><p>	After what seemed like an eternity I finally got my things through the check. I didn’t have much, just a backpack with my stuff and a compute-</p><p>	Oh no.</p><p>	I panicked. I forgot to return the school’s computer! I didn’t know what to do other than to just… steal it? I thoroughly pushed the thought of the computer to the back of my mind and went towards this “lounge” the nice lady talked of.</p><p>	After about 5 minutes I found the lounge. It looked amazing, with a golden and white aesthetic I was now fully excited. I went in to be blasted with a nice scent of lavender and a cooling surrounding. I showed the lady my boarding pass and passport as she smiled, gave me a slip for a WiFi code and told me to enjoy my stay. Oh I was.</p><p>	The room was dark and relaxed. The furniture complimented the atmosphere nicely as the setting of the starry night sky played fittingly, with the sounds of airplanes taking off  and landing harmoniously in the background. I found myself a nice place in the corner of the lounge and sat down. I took off my backpack and placed it on the ground, and took out the travel form from my storage. I placed it in front of me and started reading.</p><p>	“Hey Peter!”</p><p>	Oh my.</p><p>	“You’re probably surprised about why you’re in first class. Frankly, I know most people in the world, especially here, get to know such a luxury, I wanted to give you it as a proper send off. I’ve seen you grow from a toddler to a fashionable young man, and with so much road ahead of you, I don’t want your gas to run out so fast. I was once like  you, won all the awards, received praise, good grades, but never got much attention from my parents. Not that they were bad, but they were just out all the time. I probably know nothing when comparing mine to yours, but what I do know, is that there is so much more to life than just a medal, which you probably already know. A trophy might last a lifetime, but the lessons and emotions is what you bring into the afterlife.</p><p>Secondly, you might not see this now, but your family loves you. This obviously, is very hard to say, considering the circumstances you are in, but your mom and dad cared and loved you so much, and still do, along with your sister. Friends come and go, but your blood and family is forever. But that goes without saying, that I truly appreciate you being a part of our school’s family.</p><p>Lastly, I want to say that I wish you the best when tackling this new journey. I truly hope for you the best. I would say luck, but in my experience, there’s no such thing as luck. <br/>Remember, regardless of what they say, it’s easier to forgive, than to forget.”</p><p>Sincerely,<br/>Principal Charles Miner</p><p>“P.S, keep the computer. It’s a gift from Mr. Alex, you know, the IT guy.”</p><p>	I breathed a sigh of relief as I laughed for a bit, feeling a nicely folded piece of paper stuck on the back. I gently removed the paper to find out that it was a photo. It was a photo showing the whole school standing in front of the entrance of the school. Written in red sharpie on the back: “Don’t forget us!” </p><p>	I stared at the photo, and couldn't help but feel a bit damp in the middle. I quickly shook myself a bit more awake and kept everything back to where it came from. I put on some relaxing music as I watched the planes take flight from outside the airport.</p><p>	“I don’t know Mr. Miner.” I thought to myself, staring into the starry night. “I wonder if it is actually easier to forgive than to forget.”</p><p>	After binging youtube on my computer for a bit, and filling myself up on quite expensive foods and drinks it was time for me to leave to my gate. I packed up my things, tidied up my items, thanked the receptionist, and left on my way.</p><p>	The airport wasn’t as packed now as it was before, in fact, it was quite empty. I wheeled my belongings to the atrium housing gate 12, got in the first class line, showed them my necessary documents, and headed for that cylindrical exit.</p><p>	Walking through the metal buildings made everything so surreal. I was staring out the smudged glass panes as I thought about how much I have built here, and if I can really forgive this place. All the torment, struggles, lessons, all compiled into this one place.</p><p>	I make my way to the entrance of the plane as I put my suitcase and bag up onto the compartment of my seat. I took a good look at the seat. It was amazing. It was like a little throne room if I say so myself. I flopped in the seat, admiring it’s silky texture with an added bonus of a nice, comfy pillow. </p><p>	“Would you like anything to drink young man?”</p><p>	I jumped a bit out of my seat and was a bit startled, only to see a fair, matured woman looking at me. She laughed for a bit as I laughed for a bit as well.</p><p>	“Sorry about that.” I respond. “Peach juice will be fine.”</p><p>	She nods her head as she takes out a glass full of nectar. </p><p>	“Anything else?”</p><p>	“No it’s fine. Thank you again.”</p><p>	She smiles and walks away. As people start to file into the plane, I peer into the front compartment to find lots of amenities. Toothbrush, soap, comb, safety card, blanket etc. I took out the safety card as I read the english and japanese translations. This was a first for me as I had never looked at one before. I studied intently at the card when a voice broke over the plane’s intercom.</p><p>	“Hello everyone, this is your pilot speaking. My name is Captain Shin Hayata and I will be flying you today! First of all, welcome aboard flight NH1827, and if anyone is curious, the plane is an Airbus A380. Our flight will have 1 stop today in O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, and from there we will fly to Narita International Airport in Tokyo. The flight to Chicago will take about 2 hours, with a 5 hour layover, and then a flight direct to Tokyo. We thank you for flying with ANA, and we hope you enjoy your flight.”</p><p>	After about 5 minutes a safety video started playing. I also studied that intently as I fastened my seatbelt and got ready for the flight. I gathered a blanket from the storage compartment and tucked myself in. I actually didn’t know my seat could recline, but luckily in my moment of peril, the same flight attendant helped me. As the plane moved around the tracks and onto the runway, I felt a gradual speedup and some shaking as the plane took off into the night sky.</p><p>	I looked out the clear airplane window to see my old city, lit up with bright luminescent lights. I touched my hand on the window pane as the city slowly zoomed out of my sight.</p><p>	“Goodbye Baltimore.” I said quietly. “Sayo-nara.”</p><p>	I then lounged back into my reclined seat, and fell into a starstorm slumber.</p>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Prologue 7: Land Of The Rising Sun</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong><em>Italics </em>mean speaking in Japanese.</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong class="">Prologue 7: Land Of The Rising Sun</strong>
</p><p class="">I was woken abruptly by the plane’s loudspeaker announcing that they had arrived at Chicago. An air waitress told me to essentially leave everything as we were going to be back anyways. I only had a backpack so I just took it along with me.</p><p class="">After wearily, and kind of unwillingly sliding out of my chair, I repacked my things and left. I walked down the entrance to the airport, where I was blinded by the bright lights. I didn’t do much at the airport, considering a 5 hour layover wasn’t so bad. I just roamed around the airport until I found a coffee shop and waited there. After about 4 hours and 34 minutes I was called onto the flight over the loudspeaker, and made my way back onto the plane.</p><p class="">I was really kind of out of it. A short 2 hour nap when your body is already programmed to sleep a few hours ago didn’t really help either. I trudged my way to the gate, showed them my necessary documents, and made my way to the plane. The air hostess I had been accustomed to looked at me and helped me gather my things and into my old seat.</p><p class="">She didn’t ask if I wanted anything, which was fine, considering all I really wanted was a nice nap. I whipped out my phone from my right pocket to check if there was anything happening.</p><p class="">“2:04 AM - Saturday it read.” I put my phone onto the counter of my seat as the usual safety demonstrations took place.</p><p class="">“Good Morning everyone! Hope you all had a nice layover stay at O’Hare International Airport here in Chicago. Right now it is 2:05 AM, and our flight to Tokyo will take around… 12 hours. Again, my name is Captain Shin Hayata, and I thank you for flying with ANA.”</p><p class="">“12 hours? More time to sleep.” I happily thought. I rested myself onto the chair, covered with a warm fleece blanket as the plane started to move for a bit, then rumbled and took off. I couldn’t help myself but to observe the outside scenery of Chicago. There were still lights on, even though it was pretty early, accompanied along with the dark glossy sky. It was quite the aesthetic I thought. I leaned back, nestled myself into the chair, and fell into a nice sleep, as the plane flew into the night.</p><p class="">I gently opened my eyes to the bright lights of the airplane. I groggily blinked as I rolled over to check my phone. “1:19PM - Saturday” my phone showed back. There was still about an hour left to the flight when the air waitress approached me.</p><p class="">“Good afternoon young man!” She cheered, “would you like to wash yourself up while I prepare you a nice lunch?”</p><p class="">Eh? Wash-up? I was confused. I knew planes had bathrooms, but not that big I thought.</p><p class="">As I stared blankly the air waitress giggled back.</p><p class="">“Yes, our planes, well this plane, does have a shower and a bathroom.”</p><p class="">I was stunned out of my stare and quickly apologized. She played it off as it was nothing as she helped me gather my things. I gathered all my toiletries when she pointed to the way of where the bathroom was.</p><p class="">I thanked her as I walked away when she she called back</p><p class="">“First time?” she asked.</p><p class="">“Yeah sorry.” I said as I scratched the back of my head.</p><p class="">She laughed as she walked away. I couldn’t help but crack a little smile as I went into the bathroom. It was spacious and I mean very spacious. It was bigger than my bathroom back at my old house that’s for sure.</p><p class="">Locking the door behind and undressing myself, I turned on the water dispenser as it gushed out hot and warm water. It was like a dream. So this is what hot water is, so relaxing.</p><p class="">As I showered and cleaned myself, I couldn’t help but reminiscence on my past. I tried for myself to let go, but all I heard was his voice. Her screams. I turned around to see a figure standing outside the shower. I yelped back in surprise as he approached me.</p><p class="">“D-Dad?” I stuttered back.</p><p class="">He got closer and closer to me. I tried to lean back to no avail, as my back pressed against a hot wall. I was scared, frightened. Exactly opposite of who I was on the outside. He got closer and closer to me as I screamed for him to back away, throwing a soap bottle in the process.</p><p class="">My head jots back. I look around the shower. It was bright and vibrant, with no sign of anyone else in sight. I was standing like a statue as I was drenched with hot aqua. I felt like my feet were drilled to the ground. I pinched myself on the side of my arm as it stung for a bit. I let out a sigh of relief as I went back to showering.</p><p class="">After showering and making sure to disinfect my cut, I dried myself off, changed into a new set of clothes, grabbed my things, and stepped outside. As I made my way to the exit, I couldn’t help but notice the soap bottle still laying on the ground. I picked it up and set it back to where it was.</p><p class="">As I opened the door, a cold wind brushed against my silver hair as I walked back to my seat.</p><p class="">I felt a hand on my shoulder as I looked back. It was that same air waitress. I didn’t even bother to get her name. I observed her name tag. “Diane.”</p><p class="">“Are you ok sir?” She asked. “We heard a scream in there, and something hit and fall and wondered if you were ok.”</p><p class="">I nodded back, but didn’t say anything. She gave me a look of concern, as it flashed to a soothing smile. She reached for a menu in the front of my seat and handed it to me.</p><p class="">I looked over the menu. There was a wide variety of selection as my mouth started to salivate from the choices. Japanese and international alike.</p><p class="">“I’ll have the Matcha and foie-gras terrine, with a side of crab and caviar, along with a roasted “Wagyu” beef fillet, with a shallot melting cream, with some seared bluefin Tuna.”</p><p class="">Diane nodded happily as she took down my orders on a iPad. “And anything to drink and to have dessert?”</p><p class="">“Oh. I’ll try the Strawberry agar with gyuhi Japanese rice cake, and for drinks i’ll have…”</p><p class="">“The peach juice?” She chimed in.</p><p class="">“Yeah, that.” I said as I smiled back.</p><p class="">She nodded again and went away.</p><p class="">I slumped back into my seat. I pulled out the note that Mr. Miner had left me. Reading it over I was particularly stuck at the word “forgive.” I sighed and closed my eyes, as I put the note back into my bag. Why? Why is it so hard? I stared at my hands. It won’t wash off. The memories, the thoughts. Tears started to flow down my eyes as I quickly seeked for tissues to dry them with. I decided to take my mind off things and enjoy the things handed to me right now.</p><p class="">I stared outside the window. Emanating from the outside was a patch of white, fluffy clouds being illuminated by the radiance of the sun. The blue sky fit in perfectly, like a missing puzzle piece in a whole gigantic conundrum. My thoughts were broken by the fresh smell of the aromatic food. I knew exactly what it was. Looks like my foie-gras had come, along with some other delights. Diane, the air waitress, placed a tray in front of me nicely as she poured me a glass of peach juice.</p><p class="">I thanked her again as she received it with welcome, and walked away.</p><p class="">The food smelled amazing. I got my fork and knife out and started digging in. It was like an orgasm in my mouth. The combination of foods complimenting each other so well, I heard many things about airplane food but this was much different.</p><p class="">After gobbling down my meal Diane took the tray away from me. A message broke over the loudspeaker as I was busy tidying up my things.</p><p class="">“Attention all passengers, this is your captain speaking. We will arrive in Tokyo shortly so make sure to fasten your seatbelts, have your tray tucked, keep your seat upright and windows open. We thank you for flying ANA and we hope to see you again.”</p><p class="">I checked my phone to see the time. “1:55 PM” it read. I peered out the window to see a beautiful city below me. Full of infrastructure and capital. There was a nice body of ocean around part of the city as the plane descended. I sat in my seat as the air waitresses walked down the aisles to check on everyone. Shortly after, our plane descended and landed into Tokyo.</p><p class="">I gathered my luggage and started to head out. I thanked all the staff as I exited the plane as they took a warm response to the gesture.</p><p class="">“Oh, young sir, can I speak with you for a moment?” Diane asked.</p><p class="">Oh no, did I do something wrong? I thought.</p><p class="">I walked over as she went into a corner of the plane. I followed suit.</p><p class="">She sighed and laughed as she looked at me. “It seems you don’t remember me do you?”</p><p class="">I gave a confused and blank look.</p><p class="">“No… I don’t think so-”</p><p class="">I looked at her face.</p><p class="">Oh my god.</p><p class="">“Mrs. Diane?!” I asked.</p><p class="">We both laughed at this short reunion.</p><p class="">She was my old 5th grade teacher. The only one I ever liked. I didn’t really like the other teachers. They always complained about me being so antisocial and disliking others.</p><p class="">She tousled my spiky hair in her soft palms.</p><p class="">“I knew that silver hair would be recognizable anywhere.” She said.</p><p class="">“I. I didn’t know that after you left, you went and got a job here.” I said.</p><p class="">“Yeah. I still love that old school. But something was calling to me. Another passion I suppose.”</p><p class="">She looks at me intently.</p><p class="">“I guess the same for you then. I saw that one-way tag on your ticket.”</p><p class="">“Yeah. Mr. Miner had told me about a transfer program that they do. So I decided to jump at that offer.” I said back.</p><p class="">She nods and places both of her hands on my shoulders. She was shorter than me so it looked a bit weird, but I didn’t mind.</p><p class="">“You are strong and wise and I'm very proud of you.” She says. I smile a bit at that.</p><p class="">She looks behind and me sighs. “Well then. I wish you the best of luck.” She said as she ushered me out of the airplane.</p><p class="">I look back and smile.</p><p class="">“In my experience, there’s no such things as luck.” I respond.</p><p class="">She smiles and we wave each other goodbye.</p><p class="">“Oh and another thing!” She calls out.</p><p class="">I turn back and face her. My body standings inches away from the metal exit.</p><p class="">“It’s… not always about you.” She says.</p><p class="">I look down at her, then down sadly as the cold air conditioner of the plane breezes through my body and hair.</p><p class="">I then meet her gaze again, and give her a little smirk as I exit the plane, and walk away.</p><p class="">I leave the jet bridge and onto the marble flooring of the entrance. It’s beautiful. Everything is so organized. I leave as I am guided to an automatic passport scanner. I was confused at first, considering I wasn’t even a Japanese citizen, but I guess they’re just that advanced. The place is efficient and fast I notice, like a well-oiled machine. I pass smoothly as I identify which belt my suitcase is on and retrieve it. Looking around, the place is quite empty, as I only see the people who left from my plane. I followed the signs to the exit of the airport.My eyes were still not fully adjusted yet as I am blinded by the gleaming lights of the airport.</p><p class="">After a few seconds, I rub my eyes as I grip my suitcase and just stare. I look around me. I just stare at my surroundings. Decorations everywhere, kids playing around, adults talking in Japanese, busy people on their commute to their destination. It was amazing. The airport was covered with plants and decorations for the aesthetic outlook, as the spacious area played and complimented it nicely. I just gazed around the whole airport as I strolled my luggage to the exit. Except that now that it was so massive, I had no idea where to go from here.</p><p class="">I decided that why not kill two birds with one stone, and to explore the premise while looking for an exit. I walk around when I accidentally bump and knock over a small girl who looks about 12. Short as well, around 5’ 0”. She has these amber eyes staring up at me with black hair tied into pigtails using thin yellow ribbons.</p><p class="">She starts mumbling and it looks like she’s about to cry when I approach her. I bend down a bit and extend my hand when it gets slapped out of nowhere.</p><p class="">My hand stings for a bit. I can feel this person, or rather, him looking at me even with my head facing down rubbing my hand.</p><p class="">I look up and see a blonde haired person standing in front of her, sort of like a guardian. He’s shorter than me, around 5’ 7”? I couldn’t really tell. I stand up and glare into his eyes as he takes a step back, but still adamant on protecting this girl.</p><p class="">“<em class="">Hey! You apologize to my sister right now!”</em> He growls.</p><p class="">Some of the airport members are looking at us now.</p><p class="">“I was going to say sorry and help her up, clown.” I bark back.</p><p class="">He’s stunned. Oh right. I’m in Japan. He looks like he’s trying to find the words to respond to me, or even comprehend what i’m saying.</p><p class="">“<em class="">Uhh, onii-san? He’s probably a foreigner so that’s why he spoke english</em>.” The girl pipes up from behind.</p><p class="">Brother? Oh. So overprotective I guess.</p><p class="">The brother grits his teeth as he says brokenly “You say sorry, now.”</p><p class="">I look at him with a dead stare as his gaze meets mine. I walk towards him as he plants his feet firm into the ground. I don’t want to start a fight, especially not here and now. I walk closer now as he tries to push me, but I grab his wrist and hold it above him. He’s now more stunned than ever, but still not letting up. He squirms as I notice his other hand clench into a fist. The airport patrons are now staring intently at the altercation.</p><p class="">I sigh and maneuver my way around him to offer my hand to the sister.</p><p class="">I clear my throat. “<em class="">Sorry. I was just in a daze about finding where the exit was.</em>” I say in Japanese.</p><p class="">The sister stares at me and says nothing as I gesture for my hand, which she takes. I let go of the brother’s wrist as he yanks it to his side.</p><p class="">“<em class="">Are you ok?”</em> I ask in Japanese.</p><p class="">The sister is mesmerized as I talk. “<em class="">Y-Yes, i’m fine, thank you. Sorry about hitting you earlier.</em>”</p><p class="">The brother walks up to me, “<em class="">I didn’t know you could speak Japanese.</em>” He says.</p><p class="">“<em class="">It’s ok. I’m sorry if I caused you any trouble.</em>” I respond</p><p class="">He says it’s ok and that he was sorry for getting so worked up.</p><p class="">Well that went 100-0 real quick.</p><p class="">I turn to leave when I notice the sister saying sorry again. I bend down a bit as I motion to her brother.</p><p class="">“<em class="">You know. You’re really fortunate to have a brother like him.</em>” I say.</p><p class="">The brother smirks and gestures for the sister to come follow him. The siblings walk away as they wave back at me, with the brother sneaking a thumbs-up and wink to me.</p><p class="">I am so enamored and baffled at the same time by this country.</p><p class="">I realize suddenly that I should really change my currency, so I quickly find a currency changer, exchange all my USD to Yen, and pocket the cash.</p><p class="">I eventually find my way to the exit. I step out to be met with a moderately-cold temperature. I look around, where I spot my name on a sheet of laminated paper. I make my way to him as he spots me and shakes my hand.</p><p class="">“You must be Mr. Peter right?” He asks.</p><p class="">I nod as he continues. I notice he speaks quite good english.</p><p class="">“My name is Mr. Shinkawa. I’m just the transferer/driver around here, or more specifically in the school. We’re very excited for you to come to a new place and come join our school!” He says cheerily.</p><p class="">“Oh, umm… thanks.” I responded back.</p><p class="">He motions for me as I follow behind him. He opens the trunk of his sedan as he reaches for my suitcase. I intended to put it there myself but since he insisted, I let him. I slide in the back as he gets in the driver’s seat.</p><p class="">“So. There’s just a few basic things that need to be run-down.” He says as he starts his car and begins to drive.</p><p class="">“The school is about 1 hour from the airport. The Head of School wants to talk to you personally so we’re heading there first. Most if not all of your questions will be answered there.” He says.</p><p class="">I nod and thank him as I plug in my earbuds for the short road-trip. I look outside the car window, observing the scenery around me. The trees are fresh and green as the roads are nicely paved with cars following the correct lane. The water reflects the sun beautifully as the canvas of the bright blue sky helps enhance the whole thing really. I stare at the environment as I get driven away to my new life.</p><p class="">“We’re here! You must be pretty jet-lagged huh?” He claims as I rub open my eyes.</p><p class="">Right. Jet-lag. I must’ve slept through that whole ordeal. I whip out my phone to check the time.</p><p class="">“4:01 PM” it shines back.</p><p class="">I stretch myself awake and slide out of the car. Mr. Shinkawa hands me my luggage as he motions for the security guard to open the gate.</p><p class="">I unplug and keep my earbuds as the automatic gate slides open to the left. I get myself ready as Mr. Shinkawa motions for me to follow him. He also hands me my suitcase and I stroll it behind me.</p><p class="">I follow him as I look at the security guard. He stares at me as I stare at him back.</p><p class="">“<em class="">Stay out of trouble kid</em>.” He says.</p><p class="">Mr. Shinkawa looks behind and sighs.</p><p class="">“<em class="">Hey, he’s new. Lay off yeah</em>?” He asks.</p><p class="">The security guard scoffs as he goes back to his phone.</p><p class="">“Sorry about that. He’s kind of an on-edge person.” He says.</p><p class="">“<em class="">Oh, no worries.</em>” I responded back.</p><p class="">He laughs as he nods his head. “<em class="">Understood.</em>”</p><p class="">He guides me around the school to the Head’s office. I can’t help but take in the whole school right now. It’s big, modern, clean and dashing looking, it’s honestly quite nice and cozy. Similar to my old school, but this one has long hallways instead of, whatever my school had.</p><p class="">He points me outside the head’s office as he knocks on the door.</p><p class="">“<em class="">Come in!”</em> I hear a voice say.</p><p class="">He reaches for my hand as we give each other a nice handshake.</p><p class="">“He’s in there. It’s nice to have you here Peter.” He says.</p><p class="">I smile and say likewise. He laughs as he walks away, waving at me. Honestly, it’s the ones with the obscure jobs that have the most heart.</p><p class="">I slide open the door as I see him working and typing on his laptop. I let myself in as I close the door behind me. He looks up and closes his screen as he reaches for a handshake.</p><p class="">“It’s nice to meet you Peter. My name is Takeshi Yamoto.” He says.</p><p class="">I reach for his hand as he gives a firm handshake, which I return.</p><p class="">“It’s nice to meet you too, Mr. Yamoto.” I responded.</p><p class="">He smiles as we both sit down. He’s a tall man. Not as tall as me, but relatively tall, almost to my height actually. He dawns brown hair with black eyes, with also some nice clothing.</p><p class="">“Well. Welcome to Tokyo Private High School. We’re very excited to have you on board.”</p><p class="">I nod in agreement as he continues.</p><p class="">“Looking at your transcripts, it’s quite obvious that academic wise, you excel. Of course, this is something we value here, but we also value societal works as well. I trust that you can adapt and adjust to your new environment?”</p><p class="">I nod once again as he claps his hands.</p><p class="">“Good! Well, then…” He reaches in his drawer and hands in front of me some files.</p><p class="">I glance over them. It’s the usual, medical information, all that good stuff. He hands me a pen as I fill them out as per usual.</p><p class="">“Oh, and the documents you filled out back in America. Can I also have those please.”</p><p class="">I unzip and reach in my backpack and hand him the files. He looks over them and nods.</p><p class="">“Fantastic!” He says. “Ok, well, that’s about it. Just some more things for you to take home. Also remember that school starts in 2 days.” He hands me some papers as I quickly glance over them. Usual, school rules, uniform dress code, classes etc.</p><p class="">“That’s it for today. We are very excited to have you on board, starting high school here. Oh, down the hallway to the right is the school store, you can pick up your uniform there.”</p><p class="">“Thank you for everything.” I say.</p><p class="">He nods as he gets up and opens the door. I exit down the hallway as he waves goodbye to me and I wave to him back.</p><p class="">The hallways are vast and empty. Well, there aren't supposed to be any students at this time anyways. I see the orange sunlight break through the windows as I walk towards the school store. I open the door to the sound of chimes.</p><p class="">“<em class="">Hello young man, how may I help you?”</em> A voice behind the counter asks.</p><p class="">I walk over to the marble desk, “<em class="">Hi. I’m a new transfer student here and was wondering about the uniforms…?</em>” I ask.</p><p class="">“Oh yes, the new transfer student. Peter right? Sorry if I spoke in Japanese” She says.</p><p class="">I tell her it’s no worries as she gets up and goes into the back.</p><p class="">“What size are you, Peter?” She calls out.</p><p class="">“I’m an M.” I say back.</p><p class="">I hear the rustling of some boxes as she comes out with about 3 sets of uniforms in hand.</p><p class="">“Is it ok if I can just speak Japanese to you?” She asks.</p><p class="">I nod my head as she goes on.</p><p class="">“<em class="">Right. So our school uniform here contains a warm gray blazer, with a brown sweater vest, a white collared shirt and a red tie.</em>”</p><p class="">It was a change. The uniforms here are quite complex compared to the ones back home, I thought.</p><p class="">“<em class="">It’s a size L by the way, as the size chart compared to America is one up.”</em> She adds.</p><p class="">I thank her as I pack the uniform in my suitcase and head out. As I leave I see the Head of School outside smoking a cigarette. He spots me and quickly steps it out.</p><p class="">“You didn’t have to really do that. It’s ok, really.” I say.</p><p class="">He says it’s fine as he hands me a paper.</p><p class="">“Sorry. I forgot to give you this. It’s a map to where you will be staying. It’s not really a traditional apartment, but it’s similar. You can talk to the landlord, he’ll give you your key to your complex. Your house from what I see is really just a 10 minute walk from here, would you like me to call Mr. Shinkawa to drop you off?”</p><p class="">“No, I can manage. Thanks again.” I say.</p><p class="">“Don’t mention it.” He says back. “I look forward to seeing you on Monday.”</p><p class="">I nod back at him. I walk and stroll my luggage away as I exit the school with the gates closing behind me. I roll out the map given to me, to see that I just have to head straight down, take a right, then head straight down again.</p><p class="">I start walking. My journey takes me through paved roads and across a bridge. I see 2 people around my age run past me. A blonde girl carrying a violin and a black haired boy with glasses carrying what looks like sheet music zooms past me as they look over the bridge and into the river. They start talking and yelling, teasing each other as the girl pushes the boy into the river (luckily he dropped his music at the bridge) with the girl laying down her violin case as she follows the boy in. I look at them, as they’re splashing and having fun. I was kinda worried considering it was a low-tide, but they seemed fine. I walked past their items as I picked up one of the sheet music that had fallen out.</p><p class="">It was Clair De Lune. Quite a famous piece actually. I don’t listen that much to classical music, but I knew some. I studied the score, it looked way different from my drum sheet music, but that was to be obvious, as the sheet was made for piano. I bent down and slid the sheet music back into its case and walked away. I looked at them as they made it to shore and laid down in the grass, holding hands and staring lovingly at each other.</p><p class="">Music couple. Nice.</p><p class="">I stopped looking at them and started walking away to my home. On my way home, I passed a bakery with a playground across from it. I looked down at the map to find out where I was, using the landmarks as guides. I pass a collection of houses as I finally make it to my apartment. It’s one of those long ones, but I didn’t mind.</p><p class="">I knocked on the door labeled “<em class="">landlord”</em> as it opened with a man inside. I showed him my documents as he reached inside a glass cabinet and handed me my key to the complex.</p><p class="">“<em class="">Just up there, first door</em>.” He said.</p><p class="">I thanked him and walked away as he shut the door. I walked up the stairs as I opened the door to my new home.</p><p class="">It wasn’t much. I walked in, turned on the lights and removed my shoes and socks. A bed frame with a mattress sat in the corner plus a wooden desk next to it. Additionally, with a kitchen area to the right from the entrance of my house. A little table in the middle as to the left was a room to a bathroom that had a washing machine, and a storage room. There was also a window with shades to the front of me, with a balcony with clothes hangers outside. I closed the door to my house behind me and found the remote to an aircon. It was like a dream. It was like I was holding the holy grail.</p><p class="">I beeped my air-con on as I put down my things and started to unpack. I sat down on the wooden floor and started unzipping my things when I see a note left on the table. I pick it up and read it.</p><p class="">“We decorated your house a bit. Hope you like it!”</p><ul class="">
<li class="">
<p class="">TPHS</p>
</li>
</ul><p class="">I put the note down and resumed unpacking. I went out to the balcony and retrieved the clothes hangers from outside and started hanging my clothes along with the uniforms in my dresser. I laid and put down my computer, chargers and textbooks on the wooden desk. I finished rather quickly considering I didn’t have many things. I wheeled my suitcase into the storage room and closed the door.</p><p class="">One thing I was excited about was the kitchen. Gas powered stoves, nice sink, spacious area, all much to my liking. I checked underneath and in the cupboards to find nothing. Looks like i’m shopping tonight.</p><p class="">I check my phone to see what time it is. “6:32 PM” it reads. Wow, time flies by fast. I decided to, again, kill 2 birds with 1 stone and get dinner and shop at relatively the same time. My stomach was rumbling as I took my phone and my wallet. I decided to leave my headphones to really experience the vibe here. I change into some fresh set of clothes, just a plain long black sleeve shirt and some pants.</p><p class="">Oh, and almost forgot to take my keys and the map.</p><p class="">I wear my shoes and step outside and lock the door. I pull out my phone, only to remember that I don’t have service. Great. I open the map given to me and observe it. There’s a street west of me not too far from where I am, where there are food places and supermarkets.</p><p class="">I fold the map, keep it in my back pocket, and start walking west.</p><p class="">I walk for about 20 minutes, admiring the scenery, the view and the overall atmosphere until I arrive at a district that’s bustling with people. You have your collection of workers, students, children, all that fun stuff. I occasionally bump into one of them by accident but they don’t seem to mind. They all keep to themselves, minding their own business, which I like. I move off to the side of the walkway to see the options given to me.</p><p class="">“Alright. We got a liquor store, a restaurant, a supermarket, and a convenience store… I think I'm gonna head for the restaurant I guess.” I say to myself.</p><p class="">It’s sort of filled to the brim with people as I look in, but I spot a few empty tables ready to be snagged. I walk in to be greeted by some chimes as a waitress comes up to me.</p><p class="">“<em class="">Hello welcome to Kanzaki’s! How many people are there at your party?”</em></p><p class="">“Just one.” I say back.</p><p class="">Crap, why do I keep fucking forgetting I'm not in America?</p><p class="">She looks confused for a second, then immediately nods her head reassuringly.</p><p class="">“<em class="">Table for one…</em>” She says as she writes something down on her iPad.</p><p class="">She smiles and gestures for the way into the heart of the restaurant. I follow her as some people look at me while I'm walking. I always kind of found that weird. The waitress kindly points a single table for me to sit at, with a chair on one side and a couch on the other. I take my refuge at the couch side as I get handed a menu.</p><p class="">Alright. Let’s see what we have here.</p><p class="">I glance over the menu. Curry, sushi, ramen, udon, yakisoba, bento boxes, the typical staple traditional Japanese food. The images look appetizing, but I know that trusting images isn’t exactly the best thing to do at a restaurant. After some long and hard decision making, I decide to go for just a bowl of tonkatsu ramen. It’s relatively cheap I guess, so that’s a plus for me.</p><p class="">I call a waiter as he jots down my order on his pad, thanks me and walks away. I sit there with my arms on the table looking around. The restaurant is packed, with all sorts of people. To the left of me, a married couple with a little child around 4, and a group of girls around my age talking and giggling to each other. With nothing better to do, I decide to just take in my surroundings. The couple both have brown hair and green eyes with the child having it as well. The child is minding his own business, having fun with his food as the parents talk in the background. It takes some power, but I manage to not be a dick and eavesdrop on them.</p><p class="">I look to my right to see a group of 4 girls talking amongst themselves. One with blue eyes and short coral pink hair with a red bow to the side downing her third glass of Sprite, another one next to her with long purple hair with purple eyes drinking what I guess is hot tea, along with a short, small statured girl with short pastel pink hair, pink eyes along with pink braids in ponytails sipping strawberry milk, and a girl with opposite distinctions with long brown hair tied with a white bow, green eyes drinking a coke.</p><p class="">I procrastinate on my phone when my food arrives quite fast. It smells quite good as I am told to enjoy my meal by the waiter. I thank him as I pull open my wooden chopsticks and prepare to dig in, until I feel a little sput on the side of my face.</p><p class="">I touch the side of my face and feel a little fishcake slide down my left cheek and bounce onto the couch as I just stare confusingly at my food. I look to the table to the left of me, as it starts making a bit more noise as the parents break their conversation to see their child laughing hysterically and pointing at me.</p><p class="">They quickly remove the utensils from their child as they look into my eyes. They shudder for a bit as they quickly and very repeatedly apologize to me.</p><p class="">“<em class="">I’m so sorry sir, I fully apologize for the actions of my child.” The mother quickly says.</em>”</p><p class="">“<em class="">Oh no, it’s quite alright.</em>” I say back.</p><p class="">I look at the fishcake as I take it and wrap it in a paper towel. I place it on my desk as the parents are quite embarrassed and talk to the child. They then call for the bill as they motion something to the kid.</p><p class="">I was right about to go back to eating as the child tugs on my shirt.</p><p class="">“<em class="">I’m sorry, sir.</em>” He says quite cutely.</p><p class="">I give a little smile as I reach for an extra plate and place a fish cake out of my ramen bowl and onto the plate. I see the child looking at me with attention as I pass him the extra food.</p><p class="">“<em class="">It’s ok. I think you forgot something though.</em>” I respond.</p><p class="">His eyes beam as he thanks me profusely as devours the fishcake. His parents smile at him and thank me again for the hospitality. I say it’s no problem as they exit the restaurant, with the kid saying “bye-bye!” To me as he walks out. I can’t help but crack a smile as I wave back to him and go back to finally begin eating.</p><p class="">I must admit. The ramen was ok. It wasn’t the greatest I had ever tasted, but it wasn’t the worst. Then again, this wasn’t a ramen specified shop so I didn’t have much expectations to begin with anyway. I couldn’t help but notice that some of the girls at the table to the right started to giggle. The ones with coral pink hair and pastel pink hair looked at me and started to laugh quietly, as the one with purple hair told them to stop quietly as well. I met the gaze of the girl with the pink pastel hair as she quickly diverted her eyes off of me and onto her food. She was blushing a bit as she stared and ate her food, which I thought was a bit cute, but didn’t think too much of. I went back to finishing my meal as I called for the bill as well. I was stuffed as the ramen was quite a lot and the complimentary ice water didn’t hurt either.</p><p class="">The bill came as I paid and gave some extra as a tip, which is normal where I come from. I start to pack my things and leave when the waitress comes up to me and hands me the extra money.</p><p class="">I stood confused as I told them that the money wasn’t miscalculated and that it was a tip. The waitress started to get a bit embarrassed until I just finally caved and took the money back, with obvious confusion still in my head. I thank the waitress for her troubles as she bows and says sorry. I bow back and leave still quite visibly baffled.</p><p class="">I whip out my phone to connect to a free WiFi service as I googled about tipping in Japan. Oh. You DON’T tip in Japan. That’s good to know as I chuckle to myself. I then look for the supermarket and enter. It’s quite packed as well, but there’s enough space. It’s like your local supermarket. I grab a basket as I pick up exactly how many cooking tools I need. Ladle, pot, spatula, pans etc. I also grabbed some simple basic essentials like toiletries, snacks, all that fun stuff. I then paid the amount needed, which was quite a lot, actually around 33,000 Yen as I asked for a door delivery service. The cashier guides me to a counter, where I whip out my map, fill out my specific address and leave them with my things. I exit the supermarket as I walk down the way back to my house. I spot the same girls exit the restaurant as I pass it as they look at me.</p><p class="">I look at them back and away as I walk myself home, when a voice calls out.</p><p class="">“HEY!” A voice says behind me.</p><p class="">I stop dead in my tracks and look back.</p><p class="">It’s that same pink-haired girl, staring directly at me, with her arms and hands to her sides.</p><p class="">“Can I help you?” I say back while approaching her.</p><p class="">Like that person in the airport, she slowly steps back I guess out of fear, but with her posture not backing down.</p><p class="">The coral-pink haired girl and the brown-haired girl quickly shush her as they ushered her away to the opposite direction, with the purple-haired girl apologizing to me, following her friends.</p><p class="">I sighed and made my way back home.</p><p class="">Crossing the same landmarks I had marked I looked up at the bright, crescent moon that dawned over me. Looking and peering around me, I saw a giant student dormitory. Maybe I could’ve lived there I thought, but it’s kinda too late now. Plus, I think my room is quite good enough.</p><p class="">I made my way back home and opened the door to my house. I started to take off my shoes when I was startled by a knock at my door.</p><p class="">“<em class="">Delivery!”</em> A voice called.</p><p class="">I opened the door to see a man holding a paper with the bags of my purchased things on the ground behind him. I kindly confirmed my items as he helped me get them inside. I thanked him for his services and closed the door.</p><p class="">Wow. That was damn quick.</p><p class="">I unpacked the items and kept them in my kitchen storage. With nothing else better to do, and with it already getting quite late, I quickly washed myself up in the bathroom and slid into my old clothes, and went to bed. I put my hands behind my head as I stared up at the concrete ceiling.</p><p class="">“So this is it.” I said quietly. “New place, new life, new start.”</p><p class="">I closed my eyes as I tossed and turned under my silk blankets.</p><p class="">“I hate jet lag.”</p><p class="">I awoke to the sound of birds chirping outside my house, as the sun shone through the curtains of my room. I didn’t have much to do today, considering all I had to do was get myself mobile service, buy some fresh groceries and wait until tomorrow. I got myself out of my bed as I washed and changed and opened my map to see where to go next.</p><p class="">Ok… shopping mall, shopping mall…</p><p class="">With the help of Google and the map, I figured to go to one not far from here. By train that is. I headed out of my room, locked the door and got myself ready for the day.</p><p class="">Using the Japanese metro system was quite easy. Just pluck in some bills, push a button to where you want to go, catch the train and just wait. I swear, either this country is super advanced, or I must be so underneath a rock… I think both. I went out of the train and onto the surface to be greeted with a whole crowd of people. Slithering my way through, I got into the mall unscathed as I stared at the vast beauty of it. I walked around as I spotted a directory for me to use.</p><p class="">Ok… third floor… technology.</p><p class="">I made my way to the escalator as I saw such diverse shops around me. On one side there was Gucci, on top there was Sony, I had never been to many shopping malls in my life so this was probably one of the best things I have ever experienced. I whipped out my phone to take some photos when I was stunned by the time.</p><p class="">Holy shit! It was already 6 PM? How long was I out for?</p><p class="">I figured like yesterday, to get my things after dinner, so I just decided to have an early one. I slid into a udon restaurant as I was again, greeted by a friendly waitress and some stares from other people. The food was actually quite amazing, the texture of the noodles, the taste of the broth, oh my it was quite subarashii. I pay my bill (with remembering not to tip), and make my way to the tech store shortly after. A man with glasses greets me as I greet him back. I ask for mobile service as he is initially startled with my Japanese, but takes it lightheartedly. We go over some plans as I get a 2GB plan for 550 yen per session and leave.</p><p class="">New number… 0904...28...3549. Alright, time to get my goods and head back.</p><p class="">I made my way to the supermarket section of the mall as I bought all the essentials I needed. Herbs, spices, vegetables, bread, eggs, lobst-</p><p class="">Woah, lobster?</p><p class="">Fun fact, I will legitimately kill anyone for lobster.</p><p class="">I look at the price intently. “4800 Yen per kilogram?! Man i’m gonna go broke at this rate.” I say quietly.</p><p class="">Eh, fuck it. Tomorrow will be the start of a new school day so I might as well treat myself right I guess. I picked up 3 lobsters as I made my way to the cashier and paid the tab. I walked over to the delivery section, gave them my address and went on my merry way.</p><p class="">After the bustful ambience of the crowds and the dead silent subway ride, I make my way back home and take off my shoes. I was quite excited for the day ahead, considering it’s the first day at my new school-</p><p class="">*KNOCK KNOCK*</p><p class="">“WOAH, FUCK!” I say startled. I look out through the peephole.</p><p class="">“<em class="">D-Delivery…”</em> A man said.</p><p class="">I sighed in relief. What’s with the quick-ass deliveries? Not that i’m really complaining.</p><p class="">I opened the door as I signed a delivery notice as he helped me bring my things into my kitchen. I thanked him as he left and locked the door. Unpacking my items into the shelves and fridge, I finished and made my way to the bathroom. I washed myself and changed as I made my way to my bed. I set an alarm for 6:00 AM to prepare for my own breakfast and lunch making as I once again stared up at the ceiling.</p><p class="">Tomorrow’s the start of a new day. A new chapter in my life. How was I going to fit in? What would tomorrow bring for me? The only way to answer these questions was to just find out for myself. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath as I went into my usual slumber in my new setting.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 1: A New Dawn</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong> <em>Feature: Italics mean speaking in Japanese</em> </strong>
</p><p> </p><p class="">
  <strong class="">Chapter 1: A New Dawn.</strong>
</p><p class="">Huh?</p><p class="">Where am I?</p><p class="">The place black. It’s like I'm stuck in a dark void. An abyss.</p><p class="">I suddenly fall through a never-ending chasm as I scream and grab at the nothingness. What is going on? Where am I?!</p><p class="">I land on a white, single-person bed as my head throbs from the experience. I get up. This is my old home. No. Was this all a dream? Am I really still stuck here? I frantically open the door outside of my room to see my whole family eating at the dinner table.</p><p class="">“There you are, old sport! Time for dinner! Your favourite.” David said.</p><p class="">I look around with panic. The living room is nice. It’s elegant. The same old recognizable couch and TV sit in the middle, but everything else is quite nice.</p><p class="">I say nothing as I hesitantly sit down at a chair viewing the whole table. It’s the same Steak Au Poivre I cooked not too long ago. I grab a fork and knife and cut myself a piece and start eating.</p><p class="">I immediately spit out the food. It’s rancid! It tastes like a pile of shit!</p><p class="">My food then starts to corrode and the room around me begins to decay. I jump out of my chair and back away as my family members morph into horrific beings. I grab a knife and throw it at them, but to no avail as it vanishes into nothing. The grotesque figures eye me and start walking towards me.</p><p class="">“Mom? Dad? Kate?’ I mumble.</p><p class="">Their eye sockets empty, their figures long and dark. Their necks twisted to oblivion. I run to a nearby door only to find it locked. I press my cold back against it as they edge closer towards me.</p><p class="">“YOU LEFT US.” They chanted.</p><p class="">No. I made a choice. To get away from this horrid place.</p><p class="">“DO YOU REALLY THINK RUNNING AWAY WAS GOING TO WORK?”</p><p class="">I didn’t run! I went for a better future ahead.</p><p class="">The voices of them filled my head. I grabbed it in agony as I screamed for them to stop. Rain poured over me as the cold droplets of water bounced off my skin. Cuts started to form along my chest as bruises around my face and arms showed themselves.</p><p class="">“YOU ABANDONED US. YOU FAILED US.”</p><p class="">The word “failure” carved and bled on my torso as I stared helplessly. I was on my knees as I bent down, asking for whatever this was to stop. I heard a familiar click as I raised my head, only to be met by the 2 cylindrical openings of a shotgun. One for each eye.</p><p class="">The figures morphed into my family members, as they watched down upon me like a helpless dog.</p><p class="">David was in the center as he stared directly at my gaze.</p><p class="">“You’re not a man. You’re nothing.” He said quietly.</p><p class="">BANG!</p><p class="">I jolted up as my alarm rang. I was in a sweating mess as tears flowed down my eyes. I ran to the bathroom to check on myself in the mirror. Everything was normal, only the cut from a few days ago, which still stung. I took off my shirt as there was nothing. I opened the sink as I splashed water on my face. The cold freshness of the water helped soothe the warm saltiness of my tears. After a few minutes I dried myself off and turned off my alarm.</p><p class="">It’s 6:03 AM. I calmed myself down with a nice swig and finish of some peach juice I bought the other day and the excitement that is the first day of a new journey. I pulled out some bacon and eggs as well as the lobster I had bought and fired up a simple breakfast as the lobster was for lunch. I heated a frying pan as I fried some bacon and eggs as well as pan-toasting my bread for a nice comfortable breakfast. I dissected the lobster as I dropped the lobster in a boiling pot of water to make my ultimate comfort food. Lobster rolls.</p><p class="">I pan-toasted some more bread as I ate my breakfast at the kitchen counter. I finished the spicy-mayo as I checked my phone. I got a notification. An email to be more exact. I opened it to see it was from the principal, Mr. Kanto.</p><p class="">“Hello Peter. Can you meet me in my office during lunch?”</p><p class="">Thanks,</p><p class="">Mr. Kanto</p><p class="">I closed my phone as I finished chopping some chives and pulled the lobster tails out of the boiler to let them rest. After about 5 minutes, I cut the lobster tail open to extract the meat and cut them in ½ inch pieces. I combined the holy trinity of lobster, spicy mayo and chives and gently stuffed them inside some buns to create 4 lobster rolls. The rolls were actually pretty big, around 9 inches in length, so I figured they would satisfy my appetite. I placed the lobster rolls into a bento-box I bought the other day as I filled the other section with an assortment of fruits and a coleslaw made of pickles, celery, onion, cabbage, spicy-mayo, and lemon juice. Oh and also cannot forget 5 berger cookies.</p><p class="">I stared at my creation with bliss. Japanese-American fusion. I like it. Cooking was always something that didn’t have a bad memory connected with it. It was like an escape for me, somewhere I could go and forget about the world and my problems for just a moment. Maybe i’ll be a chef someday, who knows?</p><p class="">I then cleaned my kitchen and watched the dishes as I checked the time again.</p><p class="">“7:33” my phone showed back. I brushed my teeth and disinfected my eye in the bathroom as I changed into my school uniform. It was a little bit tight, but I think it looked ok. A nice white shirt, covered with a brown sweater vest, along with the addition of a nice, warm blazer topped off with a red tie underneath the sweater.</p><p class="">I wanted to get to school early to get orientated with the whole shabang. I wrapped my bento box in a kilt, got my school things ready and prepared as I headed out of my room, locked the door, and went on my way.</p><p class="">The commute was about 15 minutes. I saw other students in the same uniform walking as well to school, except the girls were wearing ribbons instead of ties. The wind blew past me as the cherry-blossom trees bustled around where I was. The air was clear and fresh and the petals of the trees fell upon the road. The sight of this definitely helped me calm-down a lot.</p><p class="">I arrived at my school as some students started to file in. I checked my phone to see that it was 8:04. School doesn’t start around 8:35 so I still had time. The headmaster was greeting everyone as students greeted him back. I took in a deep breath of fresh air as I stepped onto the school grounds.</p><p class="">The headmaster greeted me and handed me a slip with a code on it</p><p class="">“Sorry again. I forgot to pass this onto you. It’s the pass to your locker, which is… A17. I trust that you can find the lockers yourself?”</p><p class="">I nodded as he nodded back. I pulled out my schedule to see what was today’s agenda.</p><p class="">“Alright. Math’s first.” I said.</p><p class="">I walked around the campus and found the lockers. There were people talking to their own groups as I found mine. I opened it and placed my lunch-box inside and locked it. I figured with 6 classes per day, I might as well haul my bag around me at all times.</p><p class="">I walked around the campus to identify myself with all the important locations as I saw a man call me. I walked up to him as he shook my hand and greeted me.</p><p class="">“You must be Peter, correct?” He asked.</p><p class="">“Yes, that would be me.” I said back.</p><p class="">“It’s a pleasure to meet you firsthand Peter, I'm Mr. Kanto. I assume you’ve gotten my email?”</p><p class="">I nodded as he nodded back.</p><p class="">“I guess i’ll be seeing you at lunch time then.” He said. I nodded and thanked him and walked away.</p><p class="">He was a relatively average man. Black hair, glasses, average physique, nothing like Mr. Miner. I walked around some more to see the multiple facilities. Massive basketball court, tennis court, soccer field, you name it. I walked down the hallway to see a quite sizable music room as I peered inside.</p><p class="">My eyes lit up at the image of a beautiful drum set. I opened the door as I went up the set. It’s got a nice snare, 3 toms, 2 cymbals and a fresh hi-hat, it was like my dream. I wanted to just sit down and play it, but now was not the time.</p><p class="">I got up to leave as I heard the sound of a piano playing, along with a violin. I looked up to see that same black-haired boy and blonde girl that jumped over a bridge and into the river. Their playing was elegant and perfected. The swaying of their motions together was astounding. They didn’t really seem to notice me as I looked at them for a while longer and exited the room in awe. I walked down the hallway further to see a nurses office and a few more classrooms.</p><p class="">After a few more rounds around the campus and more and more students coming in, I heard a bell ring above me. I checked my phone to show that the time was 8:30. My homeroom was a floor above me as I walked with other random students up the stairs as I walked to my homeroom. Room 2-03. I saw a woman standing outside the entrance to my homeroom as she greeted me.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Hello! My name is Mrs. Izumi, your homeroom teacher. You must be Peter yes?”</em>
</p><p class="">I nodded as I responded back <em class="">“Yes, that would be me.”</em></p><p class="">She clapped her hands together. <em class="">“Alright! Well, typically with new students coming to our school, we introduce them in front of the whole homeroom as a sort of icebreaker.”</em></p><p class=""><em class="">“Alright, sure.”</em> I responded back.</p><p class="">Another bell signal rang indicating the start of a first homeroom period. She went in the homeroom and closed the door as I heard multiple voices greet her as she greeted them back.</p><p class="">“Alright students. Today has a little surprise as we have a new transfer student! Please try to welcome him with open arms and give him a pleasant time here!” She then motioned for me to enter through the window as I took in a deep breath, and slid the door open.</p><p class="">The room was nice and organized. Desks were in fashionably aligned rows as I walked in. I felt multiple gazes stare at me and some whispering and chattering as I stood in front of the class.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Would you like to introduce yourself to the class?”</em>
</p><p class=""><em class="">“Oh, right.”</em> I said back quickly.</p><p class="">I cleared my throat as I looked around the room.</p><p class="">“Hello everyone. My name is Peter Hatake. I’m a new transfer student here from America and very honored for you to have me in your school.” I said as I bowed.</p><p class="">I was met with some nodding heads but mostly visible confusion as I realized what I had just said. It was the exact same thing I had said so many years ago in America. Except i’m not there anymore go figure.</p><p class="">I scratched the back of my head as I cleared my throat again.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Sorry about that. My name is Peter Hatake and I recently transferred here from America. Nice to meet you all.”</em>
</p><p class="">I was met with a few wows as the stares now turned into soothing puncturing needles. My homeroom teacher guided me to the last table on the back row, seated next to a brown-haired boy with glasses around my age.</p><p class="">The teacher started talking about the introduction of the school year when out of the corner of my eye, the same guy moved his body and stuck out his hand sideways.</p><p class="">“Nice to meet you, Peter.” He whispered.</p><p class="">I looked at him as I shook his hand.</p><p class="">“Nice to meet you…” I whispered back.</p><p class="">“Erito. Erito Hasumi.” He whispered.</p><p class="">I nodded my head as the teacher called out from the front.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Erito! Don’t distract the new student!”</em> She called.</p><p class="">People looked back as I heard some laughter and giggles.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Yes, yes.”</em> He said back monotonously.</p><p class="">The teacher went back to writing on the chalkboard and talking as the bell rang. Everyone stood up and thanked the teacher as they gathered their stuff. I took my things and suddenly felt my right shoulder had a grip on it.</p><p class="">“Sorry about earlier.” Erito said.</p><p class="">I looked back and gave him a blank stare.</p><p class="">“Uhh… yeah… sure. It’s no worries.” I said back.</p><p class="">He smiled as he waited for me to finish. I finished getting my things as I walked with him, I'll admit a bit hesitantly at first, out of the classroom. Mrs. Izumi waved me goodbye as she told me to have a fun rest of the day. I waved back at her as I pulled out my schedule.</p><p class="">“How’s everything so far?” He asked.</p><p class="">I looked at his hazel eyes. “Oh yeah. I just landed 2 days ago so i’m still trying to adjust to everything.” I responded back.</p><p class="">He smiled as we both observed my schedule.</p><p class="">“Looks like you got maths first.” He said. I gave him a “no-shit Sherlock” stare as he grinned. <em class="">“Room 3-09 eh? Good luck man.”</em> He said to me.</p><p class="">I gave him a confused look. “Why would that be?” I asked</p><p class="">He gave me a cheeky grin as he patted my shoulder.</p><p class="">“I would love to tell you, but it’s better if you find out yourself.” He responded back as he winked.</p><p class="">He ran away down the hallways as he waved goodbye to me. I awkwardly waved goodbye back as I made it up the staircase to the third floor. Again, outside my designated room was a teacher, but this time an older man. He shook my hand as he confirmed who I was. He was quite old, around 70 years of age, with the name Mr. Sawato. He opened the door for me as I walked in and he followed behind. The bell rang as students got filed into their seats.</p><p class="">I looked around the room as I was confused. These people were all older than me. They all looked like seniors. Was this what Erito was telling me about? I turned back and told him I was probably in the wrong class. The seniors behind me stared dead right into me as I asked Mr. Sawato if I was in the right class.</p><p class="">He took off his glasses as he looked over my schedule and nodded.</p><p class=""><em class="">“No, I think you’re in the right class.”</em> He said back.</p><p class="">I looked over my schedule again as I looked closely. Mathematics 3?! I already hate mathematics at a pre-school level and now I'm stuck doing calculus again?!</p><p class="">I nodded sadly as he introduced me to my older classmates.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Hello class. Today we have a new transfer student from America.”</em> He said.</p><p class="">I bowed my head as I introduced myself. “<em class="">Hello everyone. My name is Peter Hatake in the 10th grade and I look forward to working with you all. Nice to meet you!”</em></p><p class="">All I heard after that was a dead silence, as I was then further met with shocking looks from the seniors as they all stared at me.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Ehh?! Only a 10th grader?!”</em> The class called in unison.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Mr. Sawato, are you sure he’s in the right class?!”</em> A male senior called.</p><p class="">Mr. Sawato nodded and laughed. <em class="">“Even though it might not seem like it, he is only a 10th grader. So that means I’ll be keeping a close eye on your performance seniors!”</em> He said jokingly.</p><p class="">People still stared at me like I was some sort of alien as I was guided to my seat. I sat in the left corner of the class between 2 purple haired female seniors, one in front of me, and the other to my side.</p><p class="">The teacher wrote an equation on the board so complex I was lost at the first second. After a good 4 minutes, he finished writing and looked back to the class.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Every math class will contain a daily problem. Something, as to think of, to get your mind flowing and working. Would anyone like to volunteer to try to solve this problem?”</em>
</p><p class="">The class was dead silent as people looked at each other, murmuring.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Winner gets a onigiri…”</em> He said persuadingly as he held up one.</p><p class="">People were now much more interested as I could hear the salivating of mouths and the signature grumbling of the stomachs of seniors.</p><p class="">He looked around the room as he pointed his chalk at a male senior.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Yahiko! Come up here!”</em> He said proudly.</p><p class="">I saw a senior stand up as I heard laughs around the room. He straightened his blazer and he jokingly trotted his way to the chalkboard. He began to write the equation as he stopped for a few moments, erased his work, went back again and handed the chalk back to the teacher.</p><p class="">He looked at it for a moment as he shook his head. <em class="">“Nope! Not quite!”</em> He said.</p><p class="">He groaned as what I was to assume were his friends poked him and laughed. He laughed back as the whole class followed suit. I couldn’t help but crack a little chuckle as he guided his chalk directly at me.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Peter! Try your hand at this young-blood!”</em> He said.</p><p class="">Everyone turned around to look at me. I felt a bit embarrassed as I got up slowly. I could feel the gazes follow my every footstep. I heard some ooo’s and aah’s as he handed me the white chalk.</p><p class="">Alright Peter. Don’t fail. Let’s do this. I thought to myself.</p><p class="">I went into something like a flow-state mindset as my hand moved along the chalkboard. It was like I was into another place as my eyes and body was just focused on this problem. I kept writing and writing as I took certain stops to look over my work, erased a few errors here and there as I continued to write. The class was silent as only the streaks of my chalk were audible. I wrote and wrote and wrote as I filled up the whole board with a bunch of letters and numbers. I murmured to myself unconsciously throughout the whole entire ordeal as the teacher stood silent and watched me work. I wrote my final answer and circled it as I fell out of my trance and quickly started panting for air. I stared at my work up and down as my hands were still shaking from the entire thing.</p><p class="">The teacher took one good look at the whole work and back at me as he asked for his chalk back. I gave it to him as he went over the entire problem. He then gave a light chuckle as he placed the onigiri in my hand.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Congrats kid. Eat up.”</em> He said.</p><p class="">The whole class broke out in wow’s as they clapped behind me. I was still standing there as he asked me how I learned to do maths so well.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Oh, uhh… just practice I guess.”</em> I said back.</p><p class="">People were still looking at me and clapping as I made my way back to my desk and sat down. I stared at the elegantly wrapped onigiri in my hand.</p><p class="">It was partially true. Truth is, if I didn’t excel in my studies, I probably wouldn’t have still been alive thanks to my parents. It was either the belt or the mental toll of studies. I got both regardless. Just the thought of them makes me want to burst out in anger.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Hey, that was quite amazing what you did there.”</em> a voice called out from the left of me.</p><p class="">I turned to my left to see a purple haired girl give a thumbs-up as she complimented me.</p><p class="">I slid the onigiri in my bag as I responded.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Thank you, umm…”</em> I muttered.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Kyou! Kyou Fujibayashi!”</em> She said. I shook her hand as she pointed to the girl in front of me.</p><p class=""><em class="">“That’s my sister Ryou.”</em> She said. The girl turned to look back at me. She had the same exact features, except she had shorter hair. I noticed that they both had the same white braid flowing down from the sides of their hair, except that it was on opposite sides of each other.</p><p class=""><em class="">“N-Nice to meet you.”</em> She said. I shook her hand as well as we redirected our attention back to the teacher. He went around passing us our textbooks as we continued with our class. It was pretty mundane, some occasional jokes cracked here and there, some laughter, but mostly a boring maths class. Some material I already had learned and knew, but most later on in the textbook was unknown to me.</p><p class="">The bell rang to signal our second class as the other students filed out of the class. Some unknown seniors congratulated me as I heard some others throw the usual bland insults. “Nerd” or “teacher’s-pet” were the most common ones. I didn’t care, my day was off to a pretty good start.</p><p class="">Japanese language class was next. I recognized no one as I slid in and found myself a cozy spot in the corner of the class. I waited patiently as I saw a tall girl with long-flowing purple hair step into the room. She was the exact same one I saw that apologized to me and ran off with her other friends during that dinner. We both made eye contact as she quickly diverted them away and sat down quite quickly. I was confused but didn’t think much of it.</p><p class="">The class started as the bell rang when the teacher walked in. She was tall, had black hair and red eyes as the class stood up to greet her. We sat back down as she gave a roll call. I think that because everyone was in my grade and it was a new class that she didn’t introduce me like the others. Not that I minded anyway, if I had a choice I'd prefer not to. She handed us all the generic textbooks as we learned about the in’s and outs of the language, as well as some further course introduction. It was only the first day so there wasn’t much to talk about in terms of studying, but I was excited regardless.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 2: Melodic Memories</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Feature: <em>Italics</em> mean speaking in Japanese.</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Chapter 2: Melodic Memories</strong>
</p><p class="">Class ended per usual with a bell ring as we all filed out and headed for our second last class before lunch. I looked at my schedule as I saw that music was next. A bit inside me was quite excited, but the other part of me was dull. Regardless, I made it to the music class as I slid the door open. I could feel a million eyes puncture my soul as everyone turned back to look at who came in. I walked in as the teacher greeted me and shook my hand.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Hello, welcome to our music class! You must be…?”</em>
</p><p class="">“Peter.” I responded back.</p><p class="">He looked over his attendance sheet as he checked my name off.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Right. Peter Hatake, the new transfer student. Please, take a seat.”</em> He said.</p><p class="">I found myself sitting next to a couple of juniors and seniors. I’m guessing that this was a mixed class, considering the size.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Alright class. Welcome to our music program here at TPHS. My name is Mr. Takizawa and I’m the music teacher here. The music program here is quite different compared to others, as this time, you guys will be doing your own thing.”</em> He said.</p><p class="">A person raised his hand and asked for clarification.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Right. I mean that by you guys splitting into groups, playing and performing your own piece, checking in with me, of course with me guiding you and helping you guys along as well, and then when it is all said and done, you guys perform at the concerts and festivals! Of course, please run your ideas by me first.”</em>
</p><p class="">Everyone in the class nodded as he clapped his hands.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Great! Now, our first gig is at the festival which is a few weeks from now, where you guys will be selected to perform your gigs and then the festival begins!”</em>
</p><p class="">The class nodded as some people were excited.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Ok! Before we begin, can everyone please fill out a form I’m going to give out, it’s about which instrument you guys play.”</em>
</p><p class="">He then turned back and picked up a stack of paper as he handed it out to everyone. I glanced it over and filled out the requisites.</p><p class="">Name, instrument of choice… and done. I handed in my sheet as everyone else handed theirs in.</p><p class="">He looked over each individual sheet and nodded.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Mhm. Wow! Ok. I’m going to divide you guys so it’s easier for your other classmates to know as well. Can I have my brass players on the right of me, my woodwind players on the left me, my string players including piano behind me, and my other section in front of me.”</em>
</p><p class="">The class shuffled around as I spotted Erito. He gave me a wave and a smile as he went to the left of Mr. Takizawa. Woodwind I’m guessing then. Everyone filled their necessary spots as I filled mine. I looked around me to see that there was no one else around me.</p><p class="">Mr. Takizawa then looked around the room and nodded in satisfaction.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Huh. I guess we only have one percussionist and vocalist then.”</em> He said as he pointed at me.</p><p class="">Everyone’s looks were now directed at me as I stood alone in front of Mr. Takizawa.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Alright, now guys are all familiarized with your peers, I suggest that you break off into groups so you guys can formulate your ideas.”</em>
</p><p class="">The class broke off into multiple groups as I noticed Erito approach me.</p><p class="">“Hey, so you play drums, correct?” He asked.</p><p class="">“Yeah, I do.” I responded back.</p><p class="">He smiled and cleared his throat. <em class="">“Great! Me and the other boys have been looking at playing a fantastic jazz piece. I hope it’s not too hard for you.”</em></p><p class="">He handed me a sheet of music as I read the title as my eyes widened.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Caravan... You want me to play this?!”</em> I said quite loudly.</p><p class="">He looked down. <em class="">“Yeah, but it’s too hard right?”</em></p><p class="">I gave him a big smile as I looked directly at him.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“You sir, have just made my day 10 times better.”</em>
</p><p class="">He smiled as he spoke again.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Just to clarify, it’s truly not that hard for you right?”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Oh no. Of course I still need to freshen-up a bit, but I think I can do it.”</em>
</p><p class="">He broke out into a smile once again as he motioned for me to follow him. I was getting ready to walk as I felt a tug at my blazer.</p><p class="">I looked back to see that same blonde-haired girl and that black-haired boy with glasses I noticed this morning.</p><p class="">“Can I help you?” I asked.</p><p class="">He motioned for her to let go as he apologized.</p><p class=""><em class="">“You’re a vocalist, correct?”</em> He asked.</p><p class="">I nodded and responded. <em class="">“I am.”</em></p><p class="">The girl then burst into cheer as she rejoiced. <em class="">“Great! Now our little ensemble is complete!”</em> She said.</p><p class="">“Eh?” I responded.</p><p class="">I looked confused as Erito stepped next to me.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Hey, he’s our guy.”</em> He said.</p><p class="">The girl then glared at Erito insisting that I was to go with them.</p><p class="">They went at it for about a good 3 minutes as I just stared at the commotion. The boy tried to tell the blonde girl to leave as her and Erito continued arguing.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Hey Hey, what’s with all the noise here students?”</em> The teacher suddenly called as he walked up between them.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Well, I recruited Peter first for our ensemble and now she’s trying to take him away!”</em> Erito said loudly.</p><p class="">The girl glared back. <em class="">“Well, of course we need him! The vocalist adds so much depth to our piece it’s astounding! Unlike jazz.”</em> She said.</p><p class="">Erito stared at her. <em class="">“We need him too! Our piece’s main part is practically the drums! Unlike classical music.”</em></p><p class="">The teacher sighed as he stared at his underlings.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Guys, come on. You are all acting like children.”</em> He said annoyed.</p><p class="">He then pulled me aside and asked me while whispering, <em class="">“Is it ok if you can do both parts? It might be a little more work, but it’ll make everyone satisfied.”</em></p><p class="">I looked back to still see them arguing over me like 2 tabby cats over some alleyway territory. I sighed as I agreed to his proposition.</p><p class="">He called me a lifesaver as he ushered me back to the class, with him walking away to another group of students.</p><p class="">I walked up to them as they were still conversing harshly.</p><p class=""><em class="">“I’ll just do both of your gigs.”</em> I said abruptly. They stopped immediately and stared at me.</p><p class=""><em class="">“How is that going to work?”</em> Erito asked.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Well… I can just practice with one group for one day and another for one day, rinse and repeat.”</em> I answered back.</p><p class="">They both looked to each other as they agreed to the terms of the deal. But then they stopped again.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Who’s getting him first?”</em> The girl asked.</p><p class=""><em class="">“We’ll play for him. Rock, Paper, Scissors right now.”</em> Erito proposed.</p><p class="">They both got ready in their stances as they started their duel.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Saisho wa guu!”</em> They both chanted as they held out rock.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Janken Pon!”</em>
</p><p class="">I stared at the results, seeing that it was a draw.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Aiko Desho!”</em>
</p><p class="">They drew again.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Aiko Desho!”</em>
</p><p class="">And again.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Aiko Desho!”</em>
</p><p class="">Again.</p><p class="">The boy stood by me now as they were still fighting. He said to me quietly.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“I’m so sorry.”</em>
</p><p class="">I nodded back.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“It’s ok. This is quite fu-”</em>
</p><p class="">“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” Erito screamed.</p><p class="">I stared at his hand showing paper and the girl's hand showed scissors. She gave a smug grin as she stared at him.</p><p class=""><em class="">“I win.”</em> She said menacingly.</p><p class="">Erito looked down as his hand flopped to his side. <em class="">“And so you did.”</em></p><p class=""><em class="">“BUT NEXT MUSIC CLASS HE’S MINE!”</em> He yelled.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Oh yes for sure.”</em> She said as she grinned.</p><p class="">Erito looked at me, gave me a salute, and walked away as he was accosted and teased about the results by his other bandmates.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Well, looks like you’re with us.”</em> The boy said. I was a bit saddened, but nodded as he guided me to his table, with the girl following after.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Sorry! I forgot to introduce myself.”</em> He said as he extended his hand.</p><p class=""><em class="">“My name is Kousei. Arima Kousei.”</em> I shook his hand as the blonde girl extended hers.</p><p class=""><em class="">“And my name is Kaori! Miyazono Kaori!”</em> She said energetically. I shook her hand as well as she sat down.</p><p class="">Kousei looked at me as he asked me to perform an acapella to test my ranges and abilities.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Any song? And here?”</em> I asked.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Any song. Yes, and here if you don’t mind.”</em> He responded back with.</p><p class="">I got myself ready as I cleared my throat and sang.</p><p class="">“I'd heard there was a secret chord</p><p class="">That David played and it pleased the Lord</p><p class="">But you don't really care for music, do you?</p><p class="">Well, it goes like this</p><p class="">The fourth, the fifth, the minor fall, the major lift</p><p class="">The baffled king composing Hallelujah</p><p class="">Hallelujah, Hallelujah</p><p class="">Hallelujah, Hallelujah”</p><p class="">I sang the verse deeply as they both listened to me. I closed my eyes as I prepared to sing again, but higher.</p><p class="">“Well, your faith was strong but you needed proof</p><p class="">You saw her bathing on the roof</p><p class="">Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew ya</p><p class="">She tied you to the kitchen chair</p><p class="">She broke your throne and she cut your hair</p><p class="">And from your lips, she drew the Hallelujah</p><p class="">Hallelujah, Hallelujah</p><p class="">Hallelujah, Hallelujah”</p><p class="">I felt like I was in the zone as all of a sudden I heard a piano accompanying me. A violin soon joined in as I opened my eyes to see Kousei’s fingers flowing among the keys, which Kaori’s bow as I took out my magnum opus of a third octave.</p><p class="">“Well, maybe there's a God above</p><p class="">But all I've ever learned from love</p><p class="">Was how to shoot somebody who outdrew ya</p><p class="">And it's not a cry that you hear at night</p><p class="">It's not somebody who's seen the light</p><p class="">It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah</p><p class="">Hallelujah, Hallelujah</p><p class="">Hallelujah, Hallelu-jah”</p><p class="">The piano continued playing for a bit as the violin followed as well, and they both finished. I saw the teacher clapping as everyone else clapped as well. The teacher nodded and gave me a satisfied look as Kousei and Kaori came to greet me.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Wow! That was amazing!”</em> Kousei said.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Yeah! Your voice was like that of an angel’s! It was so heavenly!”</em> Kaori added.</p><p class="">I scratched the back of my head as I thanked them.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Your piano playing and your violin skills were something to write home about as well.”</em> I chimed in.</p><p class="">They both laughed and thanked me when I heard the teacher call for me.</p><p class=""><em class="">“How about the drums?”</em> He asked.</p><p class="">I looked at the set, then at both of them as they let me depart for a moment. Erito saw me coming to the set as he quickly got excited and handed me a pair of sticks. I sat down and took a deep breath as everyone was looking at me.</p><p class="">With the crash of the cymbal I started my regular routine. Caravan was something I remembered by heart. I played with as much passion as I could as sweat started to protrude from my forehead. After a few snare hits and fills a double-bass kicked as he started playing the signature bass line. I looked at him as we both nodded and I went back to focusing and zoning in. The pianist came in as well as the rest of the section, that being the brass and woodwinds. I closed my eyes as my imagination carried the rest of my playing. The ensemble was making a few mistakes but so was I, but we didn’t care. We kept playing and playing as I could feel myself lighten up. The accompaniment of the brass and woodwinds, the trumpets and the trombones. The saxes and the piano along with the rhythm of my drums.</p><p class="">“You’re so pathetic.”</p><p class="">I opened my eyes to see nothing as I went back to playing.</p><p class="">“Honestly. I can’t believe you’re this terrible.”</p><p class="">What?</p><p class="">“AGAIN!”</p><p class="">I looked around the room as everyone was still playing. I could hear them playing but my drums were silent. I kept crashing and doing the regular routine but it was like the sound of a flatline.</p><p class="">“You’ll never live up to your potential.”</p><p class="">“You’re so irresponsible.”</p><p class="">“You’re horrific.”</p><p class="">“I can’t believe what i’m hearing.”</p><p class="">“How could you embarrass me like that.”</p><p class="">The room was now silent as I could only hear the voice of her. I could still see the people in the room, but they were frozen, like apparitions.</p><p class="">I looked forward as I saw a dark, long-haired figure approach me. I wanted to run, hide, do anything to get away. I wanted to stop playing but my hands kept moving on their own. I tried using the force of my arms to no avail. The figure towered over me as she beckoned for me to play.</p><p class="">“HARDER!”</p><p class="">“FASTER!”</p><p class="">M-mom?</p><p class="">“Why are you such irreversible trash?”</p><p class="">“You’re nothing but a failure.”</p><p class="">Tears started streaming down my face as I felt helpless. I felt myself shrink as the whole void closed in on me.</p><p class="">No. Get out of my head!</p><p class="">GET OUT!</p><p class="">GET OUT!</p><p class="">GET OUT!</p><p class="">CRACK!</p><p class="">With that sound I snapped out of that reality as I collapsed from my seat, clutching the back of my head.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Oh my God!”</em> A voice shouted.</p><p class="">My hands were still trembling as I felt a lump on the back of my forehead. The tears now flowed and dripped onto the wooden classroom floor. My body was still shaking as pieces of glass surrounded me. The sunlight beat on my back as I saw shoes surround my position.</p><p class="">“Jesus! Are you ok?” Erito asked.</p><p class="">I was still on all fours to see Erito bent next to me. Everyone was looking at me like a wounded dog as some people had their hands covering their mouths.</p><p class=""><em class="">“What happened?”</em> Kousei asked as he ran to me.</p><p class=""><em class="">“I-I don’t know. He stopped playing and suddenly started crying and panicking and curled-up in a sort. He clutched his head and started yelling for something to get out of his head when a baseball came flying through and cracking the window, hitting the back of his head.”</em> Erito answered back.</p><p class="">I looked around to see my sticks dropped onto the floor as I nearly cut myself on one of the glass shards. Everything looked so blurry as Erito shook one part of my body.</p><p class="">“Hey, woah, stay with us man.” He said. <em class="">“I’ll take him to the nurse yeah?”</em></p><p class=""><em class="">“Yeah, alright.”</em> The teacher said as he nodded.</p><p class="">Erito nodded back as he lifted me up and put one of my arms around his neck. We got out of the classroom as he shut the door behind us. I let go of my arm as he insisted that I continue to do so.</p><p class="">“It’s alright man, I’m fine. I’ll walk there myself” I said.</p><p class="">He took a good look at me and sighed.</p><p class="">“Fine. But I'm walking you there.” He said.</p><p class="">I nodded as the back of my head still stung when I clutched it. We walked towards the nurse’s office as I opened the door. The room had 3 beds as the nurse looked up and ran to me.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Goodness are you ok?”</em> She asked frantically.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Yeah I’m fine. Just got hit with a baseball in the back of my head.”</em> I replied back.</p><p class="">She nodded as Erito looked at me.</p><p class=""><em class="">“It’s ok, you can go back. Keep practicing your part yeah?”</em> I say.</p><p class="">He smiled and laughed.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Then don’t go fainting on us now.”</em> He clapped back.</p><p class="">I smiled weakly as he exited the room and closed the door. I sat down on the side of one of the beds as the nurse came back with some medication and an ice pack.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Thanks.”</em> I said as she handed me the items. She observed the injury as she sat down in her chair.</p><p class="">She was a woman of normal height. Glasses, medium light-brown hair, around mid-30’s.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Thankfully it’s just a lump.”</em> She said. <em class="">“You’re lucky that you didn’t get a concussion, that ball must’ve surely had given you one.”</em></p><p class="">I chuckled as I put the ice pack to the back of my head. <em class="">“I do Muay-Thai so I have some experience.”</em> I say back.</p><p class="">She shakes her head as she sighs. <em class="">“Kids these days.”</em></p><p class="">She observes me closer and gets out of her chair. She looks at my left eye intently as she sits back down.</p><p class=""><em class="">“How long have you had that cut for?”</em> She asked.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Around 2-3 days.”</em> I answered back.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“And you have been cleaning it yourself?”</em>
</p><p class="">I nodded as she took out some rubbing alcohol and a cloth.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Then I guess you don’t mind then?”</em> She said.</p><p class="">I shook my head as she dabbed my wound with the alcohol stained cloth. It stung for a bit, but not as much as the first time I got it. She threw away the cloth and kept the alcohol as she bandaged my left eye, with now me only using one visible eye.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Your left eye is yellow and your right eye is blue. That’s kinda weird.”</em> She said.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Yeah. It’s kind of weird but most people seem to think it’s kinda cool. One parent had yellow eyes, one had blue, so I just kinda got a mix I guess.”</em>
</p><p class="">She pulled out a piece of paper and wrote something on it as she handed it to me.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Don’t worry, I think it’s kinda cool too. Like your own quirk you know? Along with that silver hair, makes you look like you’re 20.”</em> She laughed as I gave a slight chuckle, taking the paper from her. It was a nurse’s note. I kept the note in my pocket as I took the opportunity to take a little nap on the cold bed.</p><p class="">I woke up to the sounds of students outside in the hallways. I got up to leave when she asked me what my next class was.</p><p class="">I pulled out my schedule to let her know.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Oh, I’ve got P.E next.”</em> I answered back.</p><p class="">She frowned as she insisted I sit out.</p><p class=""><em class="">“With your injury, you might get hurt again, and don’t even get me started about that cut.”</em> She said adamantly.</p><p class="">I looked at her as I insisted that I wanted to go to class.</p><p class=""><em class="">“I checked the time. Lunch starts in about 30 minutes. I can just participate for a little while.”</em> I said.</p><p class="">She looked at me and sighed as she got up and helped me open the door.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Well then. I guess I’ll be waiting for you here in a short while then.”</em> She laughed.</p><p class="">I gave a smile back as she waved me goodbye and closed the door when I exited the room.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 3: The Pink-Haired Pitcher</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class=""><em class=""><strong class="">Feature: Italics</strong></em> <strong class="">mean speaking in Japanese.</strong></p><p class=""> </p><p class="">
  <strong class="">Chapter 3: The Pink-Haired Pitcher</strong>
</p><p class="">I walked down the hallway and down the stairs as I could hear the classrooms filled with the talking of teachers. I navigated my way through the halls and into the boys locker room as I began to change.</p><p class="">The P.E uniform was quite short so I decided to just add-on the additional tracksuit. I stepped outside to see my other peers in the same grade playing baseball.</p><p class="">The P.E teacher looked at me as I gave him the nurse’s pass. He checked it over, nodded his head, and asked if I could still play.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Yeah i’ll think i’ll be fine.”</em> I said.</p><p class="">He nodded.</p><p class=""><em class="">“You ever play baseball before?”</em> He asked.</p><p class="">I gave a slight chuckle, <em class="">“Who hasn’t?”</em> I responded.</p><p class="">He gave a little laugh as well as he pointed to the batting team’s bench. I walked over there as he called out,</p><p class=""><em class="">“You can take off the tracksuit!”</em> He said.</p><p class=""><em class="">“It’s fine, it’s comfortable anyways!”</em> I called back.</p><p class="">He looked at me weirdly then laughed as I made my way to the dugout. The other students were all wearing their P.E uniforms and now looking at me weirdly as well as I sat on the bench.</p><p class="">Maybe I should have just taken off the tracksuit.</p><p class="">I looked at the scoreboard to see that we were down 1 run. I heard a “STRIKE 3” as the batter sheepishly looked back. His other friends were berating him as he went back to the bench.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Eh? Who’s the new guy?”</em> He asked.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Oh, I just came not too long ago.”</em> I responded back.</p><p class="">He nodded as he sat down on the bench in the dugout. The other team I noticed, cheered and celebrated quite profusely on the other side.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Not so fast. There’s one more left.”</em> The teacher said.</p><p class="">The other team looked to the teacher astounded as a bat was handed in front of me. I took it as my other teammates practically prayed for me to do well. I got up out of the dugout and onto the diamond as I stared at the ground around the home plate, hitting the bat with my signature 3 hits. I looked up and stared at the pitcher as I was shocked.</p><p class="">The pitcher was that same pink-haired girl that yelled at me during that dinner. She took one good look at me. She was shocked as well as we both stared at each other. She quickly glared with menacing eyes and took a stance. I got into mine as well as the arena was silent, with only the sound of the gusting wind being heard.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Get him, Natsuki!”</em> A girl with long brown hair and a bow shouted.</p><p class="">The girl smiled at me threateningly as she cocked back her arm and took a giant pitch. It was coming extremely fast as I just froze still.</p><p class="">“STRIKE 1!” The teacher shouted.</p><p class="">My team was crying in peril as the other team erupted in cheers. The girl jumped up and pumped her fist in the air as I just stared at what happened. She was so small, like a foot and a half shorter than me. Her arms were like twigs, her legs were like sticks and her body and head made her look like a flower or a toothbrush. But her strength was so vigorous!</p><p class="">I quickly regathered my thoughts as I positioned myself once again. This one eye situation was now getting to me but I pushed away the excuse. She got the ball back as we both stared at each other’s eyes. I could feel the burning tension between us as she cocked back again and took a massive pitch once again.</p><p class="">This time I was ready as I swung hard. But the ball evaded my bat as it curved and planted itself into the catcher’s mitt.</p><p class="">“STRIKE 2!” The teacher yelled as the other team was cheering on their star player as my team was now ready to give in. I stared at her once again as she laughed at my pathetic attempt.</p><p class="">I took in a deep breath once again as I got myself ready. I looked to my team who was staring at me and essentially begging for me to hit this one. I looked at the opposing team who was all glaring at me along with the pink-haired pitcher.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Come on, one more Natsuki!”</em> The same brown haired girl shouted. The enemy team was now chanting her name as she grinned smugly, with both of our gazes meeting each other.</p><p class="">I closed my eyes as I took in one more deep breath, silencing the voices around me as I stared at her posture.</p><p class="">“Alright, you pink-haired petite bitch. Bring it on.” I said quietly.</p><p class="">I noticed her posture was the same one used when she went for a fastball. I positioned myself to match her sheer speed. She cocked back and pitched as I swung as hard as I could.</p><p class="">With a loud clanging of the bat against the ball, everyone watched as the sphere was sent flying outside the school grounds and plopped into a nearby river. The enemy team was stunned as my team was now egging me on. I jogged as I stared at the enemy team with no emotion as they stared at me back. I looked at the pitcher who was visibly angry at me as I made a peace sign and smiled back at her. She seemed to get more agitated and looked away quickly as I made it to home base.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Alright! Looks like the final score shows it’s a tie game!”</em> The teacher announced. My team went up to greet me as they all hugged me and congratulated me. The bell rang to show that it was lunch time as everyone shook hands after the game. I came up to the pink-haired pitcher as I stuck my hand out.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“That was a good gam-”</em>
</p><p class="">She glared at me as she slapped my hand away.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Yeah! And you had to come and ruin it!”</em> She said angrily.</p><p class="">My hand throbbed as she looked away from me. I looked at her as I continued.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Your pitching was amazing as well, you know.”</em>
</p><p class="">She looked up at me and blushed as she gritted her teeth.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Sh-Shut-up, you Baka!”</em>
</p><p class="">She then turned around and ran away back to the school building. I laughed a little bit but was more perplexed as I made my way inside the building as well.</p><p class="">I got changed in the locker room back into the 4-piece uniform and started to go to the principal’s office, as he had requested for me to meet with him. I went out to the lockers and grabbed my lunch box out of mine and locked the locker shut. I made my way up the stairs when suddenly I got hit by someone exiting their class.</p><p class="">The back of my head starts to throb once again as I clutch it. The person is clutching their forehead as well as we both stare up and look at each other.</p><p class=""><em class="">“It’s, It’s you!”</em> The student said.</p><p class="">It was the same person that I had met at the airport. The same person that I accidentally bumped into his sister. I looked at him as he took a step back and kind of cowered behind his other friend.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Tomoya! That’s the guy I was talking about!”</em> He said.</p><p class="">A dark blue-haired student came up to me as he extended his hand.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Nice to meet you. I’m Okazaki Tomoya.”</em> He said.</p><p class="">I shook his hand back as his friend stood in disbelief.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Nice to meet you too. I’m Hatake Peter.”</em> I answered back while returning the handshake.</p><p class="">He looked back at his friend. <em class="">“You’re not so bad as you seem, my friend Sunohara over there was talking about you all night a few days ago. Saying about how you were this scary person from America that knocked over his sister.”</em></p><p class=""><em class="">“Oh really?”</em> I answered back as I looked at him. He was a bit scared now as I extended my hand.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“We never really got off to a good start, my name is Peter Hatake. Yours?”</em>
</p><p class="">He inched closer as he shook my hand.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Youhei Sunohara.”</em> He said while returning my handshake.</p><p class="">I turned to Tomoya as he continued.</p><p class=""><em class="">“You’re a first-year right?”</em> He asked.</p><p class="">I nodded my head and asked how he knew.</p><p class="">He looked at me up and down as he chuckled. <em class="">“I was in your mathematics class, genius.” He answered back. “I was sitting in the opposite corner from you.”</em></p><p class="">I remembered for a bit as it came to me. <em class="">“Ahh, right.”</em></p><p class=""><em class="">“That problem you solved was quite the feat.”</em> He added.</p><p class="">I thanked him as I remembered the onigiri in my bag. I took it out and held it in my hand.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Hey, thanks for the catch-up, but I have to go. Got a meeting with the principal.”</em>
</p><p class="">Tomoya nodded as called for Sunohara. I walked up to Sunohara as he started backing off and placed the onigiri in his hand.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Sorry about the incident at the airport yeah? Keep it as an apology.”</em> I say.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Oh um, thanks.”</em> He says as he pockets the food.</p><p class="">Tomoya smiles at me as Sunohara follows him. He wishes me farewell as I wish him one back, and one to Sunohara, who is still relatively scared of me. I laugh a bit inside to myself as I walk off to meet the principal in his office.</p><p class="">I meet the entrance to his door and open it. It’s bright, with a couch to the side, his desk sitting in the front of the room with a window behind him, books lining the shelves along his room, the typical principal stuff. Mr. Kanto sees me as he greets me and invites me in as I shut the door.</p><p class="">“You can leave your things at the coat rack.” He says.</p><p class="">I put down my belongings as he invites me to have a seat on the couch, as he sits on one opposite of me. He clears his throat as he begins.</p><p class="">“So. How are things on your first day of school?” He asks.</p><p class="">“Things are fine. I really like the environment and people here, including the staff. They are all very welcoming.”</p><p class="">He nods as he continues.</p><p class="">“Well. I wanted to invite you in to chat to discuss multiple things, such as life back home, life here, how you’re fitting in, the usual things.”</p><p class="">I nod as he continues once again.</p><p class="">“I read your report filled in from your old school, written by your old principal, Mr. Miner. Tell me, and you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, how was your family growing up?”</p><p class="">I looked down as I felt like a dark cloud was over me, like a whole tectonic tonal shift just took place. Mr. Kanto continued to look at me intently.</p><p class="">“It was tough. I don’t remember much about my childhood. People always used to say I was always full of joy, but I guessed that changed over time. My mom is home most of the time doing her own things, my sister was exactly the same and the opposite at the same time. She did her own thing, but she was always out of the house. My dad well… he had to provide for his “family””.</p><p class="">“And what did he do?” Mr. Kanto asked.</p><p class="">“He uhh… sold medicine as a living.”</p><p class="">Mr. Kanto nodded again.</p><p class="">“And how was your school life?”</p><p class="">I responded. “It wasn’t much. I usually just did the assignments and thought nothing of it. I was always lectured my entire life, whether that be my peers or my parents that my grades are basically who I am.”</p><p class="">“And your hobbies. What are they?”</p><p class="">“Cooking mostly. But baseball, basketball, drumming and Muay Thai were probably as important as well.”</p><p class="">I could tell he was trying to pry into me.</p><p class="">“Why Muay Thai?”</p><p class="">“Stress-reliever. Self-defense. All that stuff.”</p><p class="">He looked at me intently once again as I avoided his gaze.</p><p class="">“Well, I hope that doesn’t become a problem here. It says that you got into fights at your old school.”</p><p class="">I avoided his question.</p><p class="">“And we have a strict-no fighting policy here.”</p><p class="">“What about for self-defense?” I ask.</p><p class="">“We look into multiple cases and if it is indeed self-defense, then the punishment will be dealt accordingly. However, there is still the strict no-fighting policy. Do you understand?”</p><p class="">“I understand.” I responded back.</p><p class="">We continue to talk for quite some time as we hear some commotion outside. We both get up to see a dark-silver haired female student beat up a few delinquents near the P.E area. They are basically in a heap of themselves as the principal sighs again.</p><p class="">“Well, looks like I have to clean up this mess.” He says.</p><p class="">He offers his hand as I shake it.</p><p class="">“It was nice talking to you, Peter.” He says.</p><p class="">“Likewise.”</p><p class="">The bell rings as he motions for me to head to class. I look at my lunchbox which I forgot I haven’t eaten out of yet. I decide to just save it for later as I head to my next class.</p><p class="">“Oh and are you ok? You got that bandage on your left eye.”</p><p class="">“I’m fine, thanks.” I responded back.</p><p class="">My next class is health as the class finishes as fast as it started. The class was quite boring as I kind of was tuned-out the entire time.</p><p class="">The bell rings once again as I head to the last subject of the day, english. I step into the room and find myself a seat as a coral-pink haired girl stares at me, but then shakes her head and sits down in the front of the class. I recognize her from that dinner, but I guess she doesn’t recognize me. The class starts as the teacher walks in and we greet her. She roll-calls then proceeds to talk about the foundations of the english language as she explains our assignment. She pulls out textbooks as she places it on everyone’s desk.</p><p class="">I flip through it to see that it’s all quite advanced. I look around me to see a mixture of seniors, juniors and 2 sophomores, that being me and this coral-pink haired girl. The teacher calls on each one of us to read a passage from the textbook. Some do quite well as some struggle. The teacher then pointed to me as I read. It was a made up dialogue between 2 people as the class looked at me while I presented. When I finished, they all started clapping like I had just won an award, but all I did was just read a text.</p><p class="">“Your english is amazing! How did you learn it so well?” The teacher asked.</p><p class="">“Uhh… I grew up in America so it isn’t really that hard.” I responded.</p><p class="">“Ahh, you’re the transfer student right?”</p><p class="">I nodded as she nodded back and continued to the next person. The coral-pink haired girl kept shooting looks at me for some reason, like she was someone she knew. I occasionally returned her looks as on one or more occasions we just stared at each other awkwardly.</p><p class="">The class ended as everyone got up to leave, but I was called to talk to the teacher.</p><p class="">“Have you picked a club yet?” She asked.</p><p class="">“A club?” I responded confusingly.</p><p class="">“Yes, it is mandatory to pick at least one club.” She reminded me.</p><p class="">Ahh… I remember now. The principal was talking about that as well.</p><p class="">“Oh, no I haven’t really thought about it. Maybe the baseball or basketball team.”</p><p class="">“Well, how about you try something new?” She asked.</p><p class="">“And what would that be?”</p><p class="">“One of our star english students, Monika, is starting a literature club and I think she needs some members.”</p><p class="">“A literature club? That sounds kind of boring to be honest.” I say back gloomily.</p><p class="">She looks at me with puppy eyes as I finally give in and sigh.</p><p class="">“I guess I could give it a shot.” I say.</p><p class="">She claps and smiles as she thanks me.</p><p class="">“Great! They meet at room 1-17.</p><p class="">I exit the room and wish her goodbye as I close the door. I went to the bathroom to unpeel my bandage as it was already starting to wane off. I threw the bandage away as I finished taking a leak and washing my hands. I walk down the hallway with other students as I meet at my homeroom.</p><p class="">“Hey! You doing better?” Erito asks as he greets me.</p><p class="">“Yeah I’m doing fine, thanks.”</p><p class="">The teacher talks for about 5 minutes as the ending bell of school rings. Due to me being a new student, I get assigned to clean the room, which I mind a bit but not as much as Erito. He probably got in because of this morning. I laugh to myself a bit watching him get terrorised by Mrs. Izumi while sweeping the floors was quite funny.</p><p class="">We finish at 3:42 as we both thank our homeroom teacher as she wishes us a safe trip home.</p><p class=""><em class="">“So, any club you're gonna join?”</em> Erito asks me.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Well, Mrs. Sato wanted me to join the literature club so I decided to give that a try.”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“The literature club? That sounds kinda lame. How about the soccer club? I’m in it, it’s quite fun.”</em>
</p><p class=""><em class="">“No thanks, basketball or baseball any-day over soccer.”</em> I responded back.</p><p class="">We both jokingly jab at each other's preference as we wave goodbye to each other. I make my way to room 1-17 as I take in a deep breath and open the door.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 4: The Club</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="">
  <strong class="">Chapter 4: The Club</strong>
</p><p class="">I slide open the door to see 4 girls sitting at a table talking. They stop as the room is dead silent and all of them turn to look at me, penetrating me with their stares. I recognize all of them, as they were the ones at that dinner that I had encountered not too long ago. I see the same pink-haired pitcher during P.E and want to close the door and step out but the coral-pink haired girl drops her cookie, immediately jumps out of her chair and practically runs to greet me.</p><p class="">“Ouph mah Gawwd isth you! Nathuki! Yureh! Monikath! I thewld you ith wath him!”</p><p class="">She was tugging on one side of my blazer as her mouth was still partially full of cookies.</p><p class="">“Sayori, can you please swallow your cookies first before talking?” The one with brown hair asks.</p><p class="">She quickly chews down on her food and swallows as she continues.</p><p class="">“It’s him! The one I told you guys who I thought he was about!”</p><p class="">“Uhh… what?” I ask confusingly.</p><p class="">“Are you here to join the literature club?” The one with brown hair asks.</p><p class="">“Uhh… yeah.” I responded back.</p><p class="">“No! Monika, he can’t join!” The pink-haired girl says suddenly.</p><p class="">I look at her as she glares at me back.</p><p class="">“Natsuki, come on.” The one with purple hair says.</p><p class="">“No! Seriously, Yuri? He’s a boy, real atmosphere killer.”</p><p class="">Wow.</p><p class="">“Natsuki, please.” The coral-hair girl says.</p><p class="">“Urgh. Fine.” The pink-haired girl responds.</p><p class="">The coral-pink haired girl jumps for joy as she introduces everyone.</p><p class="">“Great! Well, I’m Sayori.” She says as she points to herself.</p><p class="">“That’s Monika, the club president. Always smart and athletic, and of course the high school idol.”</p><p class="">She points to the brown haired girl who gives me a wave back as I give one to her. She’s quite normal, but guessing from what Sayori said, she’s quite popular I guess.</p><p class="">“That’s Yuri, the smartest one in the club.”</p><p class="">She points to the purple haired girl as she twiddles her hair. Closer up she actually looks the most matured, but the most timid.</p><p class="">“T-Thank you.” Yuri says.</p><p class="">“And that’s Natsuki, always full of energy.”</p><p class="">She points to the pink-haired girl as we both exchange looks. Getting a good look at her, she actually looks like a middle schooler. She’s around 4’9”, 4’10” maybe? Her figure is quite small compared to the other people I have seen.</p><p class="">“What’re you looking at? If you want to say something, just say it.” Natsuki says.</p><p class="">I look away as Sayori whispers in my ear.</p><p class="">“You can just ignore her when she gets moody.”</p><p class="">I nod back as Natsuki makes a “hmph” sound.</p><p class="">“It’s nice to meet all of you.” I say.</p><p class="">“Come sit down! We can get a chair for you and make room for you.” Sayori says.</p><p class="">I thank her as I take a chair and place it at the front of the table. They arranged a few desks to make a table which I thought was quite genius.</p><p class="">“I’ll go get the cupcakes!” Sayori calls.</p><p class="">My ears perk up a bit.</p><p class="">“Hey! I made them, that means that I'll get them.” Natsuki says.</p><p class="">“Hehe, sorry about that. I got a little too excited.” Sayori says while apologizing.</p><p class="">“Then I guess I’ll make some tea then.” Yuri says.</p><p class="">Natsuki goes to a table in the back room taking a tin-foiled cover tray as Yuri heads to a cabinet and grabs some tea leaves and hot water. I sit down as Sayori and Monika sit next to each other. Yuri then joins in and sits at the desk closer to me and starts brewing some tea as Natsuki arrives.</p><p class="">“Okaaay! Are you guys ready?” Natsuki says.</p><p class="">She proudly lifts the foil off the tray, revealing a dozen white fluffy cupcakes, all designed and decorated to look like little neko’s.</p><p class="">“Ta-daa!”</p><p class="">“Uwoahhh!” Sayori says as she quickly grabs one. Monika and Yuri follow suit as I observe the cupcakes a bit more. The whiskers are drawn with icing quite perfectly and little chocolate chips were used to imitate ears.</p><p class="">“Aren’t you gonna take one?” Natsuki asks angrily at me. I apologize as I take one and stare at it a bit longer. The smell is very nice. The design is practically perfect.</p><p class="">“I had no idea you were THIS good at baking, Natsuki!” Monika says.</p><p class="">“Ehehe, well you know. Take more if you guys want!” Natsuki proudly says back.</p><p class="">Sayori finishes her second one already as she looks at me.</p><p class="">“Now. What will the masterchef think?” She says.</p><p class="">Everyone laughs and looks at me as I laugh a little bit.</p><p class="">“Haha. I guess that's what you meant in the beginning right?” I ask.</p><p class="">She licks her fingers as she continues.</p><p class="">“Sure do!” She says. She stands up as she imitates an announcer.</p><p class="">“Masterchef junior Peter Hatake. Winning dish: Herb-crusted lamb racks with a dessert of a deconstructed apple tartlet!” She says proudly.</p><p class="">“Wait… what?” Natsuki asks. “Masterchef junior winner?”</p><p class="">“Yup!” Sayori says as she brings a photo of me and my winning dish from 2 years ago. Monika wow’s as Yuri compliments the specifics of my dish. Natsuki is silent as she looks at me while I unravel the wrapping of her cupcake.</p><p class="">“I didn’t know it was you due to that cut on your eye, but a closer look with the hair and the eye color makes me 100% confident!” Sayori says again.</p><p class="">I smile as I take a look around the cupcake, observing the best place to take a chomp into. Natsuki is still staring at me as I look up at her.</p><p class="">“Are you waiting for me to eat this? I’m not a judge or anything.” I say lightheartedly.</p><p class="">Everyone laughs as Natsuki growls and goes back to eating. She’s still sneaking glances at me as I finally bite down.</p><p class="">It was practically an orgasm in my mouth.</p><p class="">The sweet icing of the cupcake complimented the velvety and fluffy texture of the main part of it, along with the toppings of the chocolate made it all so perfect.</p><p class="">She’s practically staring at me again as I close my eyes to collect all the flavours and textures I’m tasting right now. I finally swallow my bite as I take another and another, and finish the cupcake in a matter of seconds. I can see her eyes light up as I swallow my final bite.</p><p class="">“That. Was probably the best cupcake I have ever had. The texture, the taste, just everything about it fit so well with one another. Thank you, Natsuki, really.”</p><p class="">She looks away quickly.</p><p class="">“Just take another one then.” She barks back.</p><p class="">Monika looks at her with a stern look.</p><p class="">“Natsuki, please. What’s up with you today?”</p><p class="">She glares back as she points a finger in my direction.</p><p class="">“Are you actually serious Monika? The baseball game? The disdain? He acts like he’s sooo much better than everyone. It’s always those transfer students.”</p><p class="">I get taken aback a bit. What’s wrong with this girl? Was she mentally stable?</p><p class="">“Excuse m-”</p><p class="">I feel a grip to my thigh as I see Sayori’s hand on it. I look at her as I get the message and quickly pipe down. Natsuki sits back down as there’s a long pause and silence between all of us. Each one taking a cupcake in the quietness, anxiously waiting for the next person to speak up.</p><p class="">Eventually, Yuri comes back with some tea as she pours everyone a cup. Everyone drinks the yellow liquid as I speak up.</p><p class="">“Soo… Monika. What’s the plan for this club?”</p><p class="">Monika looks at me as she puts down her cup.</p><p class="">“Well… normally we just write poems and congregate amongst ourselves. But, we do have the festival coming up in a few months so I have something planned for that as well.” She says.</p><p class="">“And what would that be?” I ask.</p><p class="">“It will be poem focused really. A performance so to speak.”</p><p class="">“Like a song? Or do we just read our poems to an audience?”</p><p class="">“Yes and no. I was thinking about us all writing poems and having that accompanied with a song.” She says. “Want to see what I’ve been working on?’</p><p class="">I nod as she gets up to the teacher’s desk that’s piled high with papers. I go back to drinking my tea as Sayori whispers in my ear.</p><p class="">“Thank you.” She says quietly. I look at her and nod as I see Natsuki still looking down at her cup of tea, avoiding all contact. I look down as well, eyeing the cup as I take another sip. After some more rustling of papers behind me, Monika returns with a sheet of paper containing some lyrics. I gaze at the title on top of the paper.</p><p class="">“Your… Reality?” I ask her.</p><p class="">She sits back down as she speaks.</p><p class="">“Yeah. It’s like a song, poem, fusion combination. Tackling the idea of a person falling in love with someone they know they can’t get. Achieving only thoughts of love, but with it all being in the mind. Never manifesting in the real world, hence, their reality juxtaposing our reality.”</p><p class="">I nod as I scan over the paper. It’s still quite empty as only the first verse has been written out, as eraser marks, pencil scratch outs, and the crumpling of the paper fill the rest of the sheet.</p><p class="">“I assume it’s not done yet, right?”</p><p class="">She nods.</p><p class="">“I’ve been trying to wrap the idea around my head. I’ve also been discussing it with the music teacher as well, so I think we’ll be set.”</p><p class="">“What about us as a collective group?” I ask.</p><p class="">“Oh. You all will be having your own performances, I hope you guys don’t mind.”</p><p class="">Everyone shakes their head as we look at each other.</p><p class="">“Fantastic!” Monika says. “We’ll also need things like concessions such as food, drinks and other things as well. But we can plan that for later.”</p><p class="">We all nod to each other as Natsuki cleans her empty tray as everyone disperses around the room. Monika goes to the teacher’s desk working on whatever papers she has piled high, Yuri stays at her spot as she opens up a book, Sayori opens a textbook as I see Natsuki head towards the back of the classroom. I sit at a desk to the front of the room as I rest down.</p><p class="">The idea of food pops up in my head again as my stomach starts hurting. I recalled that I haven't eaten lunch yet as my stomach sends another angry signal.</p><p class="">“If you don’t mind, can I eat my lunch here?” I ask.</p><p class="">“You didn’t eat lunch?” Yuri asks as she looks at me.</p><p class="">I shake my head. “I couldn’t really. I had a chat with the principal that basically took up all the time I had.”</p><p class="">Yuri nods as I unwrap my bento set and open it up.</p><p class="">The fresh smell of the contents within sparks a new aroma in the room. Everyone eyes my food as I take a lobster roll and chomp into it.</p><p class="">“Woahhh! That smells so good!.” Sayori chimes up as she walks to me.</p><p class="">“Thanks. It’s not much really.” I say back. She eyes my bento set as I can see her eyes staring at my cookies. I look at her back as I see her still eyeing my cookies.</p><p class="">“No.” I say adamantly.</p><p class="">Sayori frowns as she attempts again.</p><p class="">“Pleaseee?” She asks.</p><p class="">“Like I said, no.” I say back.</p><p class="">“He hasn’t eaten lunch yet, Sayori.” Monika says.</p><p class="">Sayori sulks as she goes back to her textbook. I eye her as I can’t help but feel bad as she begrudgingly writes on her textbook.</p><p class="">You know what. I know you’re playing me. But I’ma roll with it.</p><p class="">I take a tissue paper as I take a cookie and place it in the tissue. I walk over to Sayori as I place the cookie on her desk.</p><p class="">I see her eyes go wide open as she beams with delight.</p><p class="">“Really?”</p><p class="">I nod.</p><p class="">“Wow! Thank you so much Peter!” She says.</p><p class="">She gobbles down the cookie as I walk back to my desk and start eating once again. I ask Yuri for some more tea as she happily obliges and smiles at me.</p><p class="">“Thanks.” I say back.</p><p class="">She smiles graciously once again as the room once again falls silent. Everyone is busy doing their own thing when I hear the grumbling of a stomach. I feel eyes fall upon me as I embarrassingly speak.</p><p class="">“That must’ve been me, sorry.” I say a bit laughingly.</p><p class="">Everyone chuckles as the room falls silent once again.</p><p class="">Grrrrrrr.</p><p class="">Everyone looked up once again as I felt nothing emanating from my stomach. Everyone goes back to their work as I look back to see Natsuki sitting down against a wall with a book in her hand, eyeing my food. I see a bit of drool protrude from the side of her face as she quickly blushes and diverts her eyes from me.</p><p class="">Again. You’re probably playing with me. But I’ma roll with it.</p><p class="">I grab my bento box as I place it in between us and sit down facing her. She rolls her eyes as she lifts them from the book she was reading and stares at me.</p><p class="">“What do you want?” She asks sternly.</p><p class="">“I heard your stomach rumbling so I just did a chef’s natural instinct.” I say back.</p><p class="">She scoffs back at me as I hear her stomach rumbling again. She blushes and sinks a bit as I offer her a roll. She looks at me, then at the lobster roll intently.</p><p class="">“It’s ok. I got my other foods.” I say back.</p><p class="">She snatches it from my hand as she practically devours the roll in around 30 seconds. I just sit and watch as I wonder to myself how a woman of such size has so much caliber. She finishes as she licks her fingers.</p><p class="">“How was it?” I ask.</p><p class="">She meets my gaze once again as she blushes once more.</p><p class="">“It was ok. I’ve tasted better.” She says back.</p><p class="">I smile for a bit as I go back to eating the rest of my rolls. She goes back to reading her book but I notice her glancing at me from time to time. I eventually finish the second roll as I chomp down on my cookies as I offer her one. She takes it without hesitation this time as she puts down her book and eats it.</p><p class="">“Hey, uhh. Natsuki?” I ask.</p><p class="">She looks up at me without saying a word.</p><p class="">“I’m sorry about today’s baseball match. I shouldn’t have been so obnoxious. And the events prior as well.” I say.</p><p class="">She stares at me intently this time as she speaks again.</p><p class="">“I’m sorry as well, Peter. About…”</p><p class="">She pauses.</p><p class="">“Berating you and whatnot.”</p><p class="">She looks a bit embarrassed as I grab a last lobster roll from my bento box and extend it to her.</p><p class="">“Truce then?” I say.</p><p class="">She looks at the roll as she grabs the other end.</p><p class="">“Yeah. Truce.” She says as we both tear the roll in halves.</p><p class="">I chomp down on mine as she chomps down on hers. We both chew on our food as we look up at each other. Natsuki starts laughing through her food as I stare confusingly. She whips out her phone as she quickly takes a photo and shows me. I look like a chipmunk who ate one too many nuts into their mouths. I quickly reach for some paper towels at Monika’s desk as she stares at me and starts laughing for a bit. I quickly cover my mouth as I attempt to chew my food as Sayori looks at the photo Natsuki took and starts howling. Yuri looks up to see the exact same photo as she giggles a bit. The atmosphere lifts up as I quickly chew and swallow my food and point to Natsuki.</p><p class="">“Delete that, now.” I say.</p><p class="">She giggles as she shakes her head while showing her phone screen to me.</p><p class="">“Nuh-uh. No way I’m deleting this.” She says back laughingly.</p><p class="">I attempt to reach for her phone as she dodges my feeble attempt and starts maneuvering around the classroom. I follow in hot pursuit as I try to catch her, only to fail. Her short and small stature make it easy for her to weave through the desks as my figure proves to be quite useless during these trying times. The club is looking at me now as they all start laughing and cheering on Natsuki. After chasing her for what seems like a good 5 minutes, I start to fatigue out and pant. She’s still active as she beckons me for another round as I start to chase her once more.</p><p class="">Luckily, she makes a mistake by trying to be too crafty as I quickly snatch the phone from her sweaty grasp and hold it above my head.</p><p class="">“Looks like I win.” I say smugly.</p><p class="">She starts to furrow her brows as she attempts to jump and try to catch back her phone, to no avail. It’s quite easy for me as I have about 1 feet plus over this girl. I could hear some growling as I felt the sudden shock and pain of a uwabaki slipper’s heel against my shoe. I yelped as I released the phone from my grip as it fell into Natsuki’s hand.</p><p class="">“Gah! What was that for?” I say while grabbing my right foot.</p><p class="">“Looks like I, win.” She says back.</p><p class="">I see her walk away proudly as I release the grip of my shoe and make my way back to my lunch box to finish the beloved contents. Natsuki has her face buried in her book as I begin to eat once again, when I see 2 of my cookies missing. I look up to see a trail of crumbs leading to Natsuki’s sitting place as she covers her face with her book with her movement of her throat swallowing something. I smile for a bit as I finish the rest of my bento set while finishing some of my textbook contents.</p><p class="">The bell rings once more and everyone gets up to pack and leave.</p><p class="">“Hey Peter. Would you like to exchange phone numbers for easier contact?” Monika says to me suddenly.</p><p class="">“Oh, um. Sure.” I say back as I whip out my phone.</p><p class="">“Ooh! Me first!” Sayori chimes up.</p><p class="">The literature club soon huddles around me as they too take out their phones. Natsuki stares intently at mine like it’s an ancient relic of the past.</p><p class="">“What is THAT?” Natsuki asks as she points to my phone.</p><p class="">“An iPhone 4…?” I say back confusingly.</p><p class="">“My God, did you find that in Atlantis or something?” Natsuki asks once again.</p><p class="">I laugh a bit as I enter in the numbers of my other clubmates.</p><p class="">I look at the mobile devices of my peers who all have the latest technology. I don’t really mind though. As long as it works, it works.</p><p class="">“Aaaand… done!” Monika says. I nod at her as we all file out of the classroom and onto the exit to the school grounds. We all wave goodbye to each other as we split off into seperate directions.</p><p class="">Natsuki walks with Yuri.</p><p class="">Sayori walks with Monika.</p><p class="">And I walk with no one.</p><p class="">I pass by the landmarks to my house as I open the entrance and close it. I lay down my bag as I opened my textbooks and laptops and got to work. I figured with the first day of school passing, that I could study a bit ahead so that I could not do as much later on. My stomach grumbles after a while as I pull out my phone.</p><p class="">“7:05 PM - Monday.” It shows back. I get up as I cook my dinner. I decided to go Japanese with this one, as I made a nice bowl of rice along with some miso soup and a slice of teriyaki salmon. I finish my dinner at around 8:32 PM and wash the dishes thoroughly. Not long after, I get myself up to clean and wash myself off. The bathroom is quite cozy. Bathtub, working hot water, all that fun stuff. It feels like a dream as I finish showering and binge on my computer. With the strain of my eyes getting the better of me, I close my laptop screen as I slouch on my bed. It’s around 10:12 PM when I head to bed.</p><p class="">I stare up at the ceiling, as my first day of school in Japan has concluded. I found new friends, met familiar faces, and had some nice interactions. I think to myself about those I have encountered today.</p><p class="">Erito is the first person that befriended me. I don’t know what happened, we just instantly clicked. Rarely happens. Real gem to find a person like that.</p><p class="">That Sunohara guy is a real klutz if I say so myself.</p><p class="">Tomoya doesn’t seem too bad. I heard he’s a delinquent from other chatter and talk though.</p><p class="">Kyou doesn’t seem so bad either, and neither does Ryou. They seem quite nice and friendly to others, even lowerclassmen.</p><p class="">Kousei seems like a shut-in, but he’s so lively at the same time. His playing is quite astounding as well.</p><p class="">Kaori is like the “yang” to Kousei’s “yin.” They compliment each other so well, as their playing fits perfectly.</p><p class="">Yuri seems really timid and shy. But I can tell she has a knack for intellect and things of that nature.</p><p class="">Sayori’s really bubbly and nice to have around. But she can be a real klutz sometimes as well.</p><p class="">Monika’s like the “school idol” of my grade. She knows everyone, everyone knows her, all the boys want to get with her, etc.</p><p class="">And Natsuki. This short, toothbrush looking, pink-haired girl. She’s really confusing. She’s hella strong though, great baseball skills as well. Her stature is really small though, so it’s easy to underestimate her. Like I did, heheh. But she seems like a total brat and is utterly brash.</p><p class="">With a nice heart, however.</p><p class="">I finish recollecting the day as I turn around and close my eyes. My thoughts are still rampant as I set an alarm routine for the coming weeks and days.</p><p class="">What will the future hold for me? How will I adjust and develop to the things around me? Will I even have a future where I am? I pondered thoroughly as my cloth blanket shielded me from the icy air-conditioner.</p><p class="">This is who I am now. This is me.</p><p class="">I drifted into a deep slumber, excited about the things to come.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 5: The Ménage Tormentor</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class=""><em class=""><strong class="">Feature: Italics</strong></em> <strong class="">mean speaking in Japanese.</strong></p><p class=""> </p><p class="">
  <strong class="">Chapter 5: The Ménage Tormentor</strong>
</p><p class="">With the flip of the pan, my day begins.</p><p class="">The smell of breakfast bacon and eggs fill the atmosphere as I prep my teriyaki salmon bento lunch for the day. The sizzling of the oil emanates throughout the room as the sun breaks through my windows and past my curtains. I open a peaceful music playlist on my phone as the sounds dance throughout the room, similar to the echo of the music room at school. I head towards my room and open my closet as I get prepared and dressed for my new beginnings.</p><p class="">With the straightening of my tie and the adjustment of my blazer, I am now complete to once again begin my journey. After gobbling down my healthy helpings of a pancetta and roe breakfast, I grab my belongings as I open the exit to my house, entering the outer world.</p><p class="">The clear air breezes past me as the vibrant colours shine throughout the streets and the houses. I close the wooden entrance behind me as I take a deep breath in and start on my trek to school. The surroundings are clear and beautiful as the blooming of the pink sakura's protrude from the brown branches of the tree. I observe them closely as I feel the texture of the leaves. It’s smooth and velvety as the bright colors enhance the tenderness of the floret. A little one falls down as I pick it up and gently place it into one of my shirt pockets.</p><p class="">I’ve never seen any before so the whole experience was surreal. Multiple students walked past me as some stopped to observe the gift of nature as well. It’s the small things that really enrich one’s perspective of life. But something so nice and fragile, can obviously be crushed so helplessly.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“They’re beautiful aren’t they?”</em>
</p><p class="">I look to my side to see a dark-silver haired girl stand next to me, holding the flowers within her hand.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Yeah, they are.”</em> I responded back.</p><p class="">She smiled but quickly frowned.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“They’re planning to get rid of these sakura’s.”</em>
</p><p class="">I look back at her.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“For what reason?”</em>
</p><p class="">She looks at me then back at the flowers, concentrating on the makeup of the plants.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Not sure really. But I really want to save them from being taken away from their beloved home.”</em>
</p><p class="">I looked at her sadly as she continued to caress the flowers within the palm of her small hand.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Yeah, I get you. Something exactly like this came upon my old school back in the U.S. Kid wanted to save the trees near our neighbourhood.”</em> I said.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“And did he save them?”</em>
</p><p class="">I nodded.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“What… Did he do?”</em>
</p><p class="">I looked at her as I observed the time and started heading towards school. I gave her a pat on the shoulder as she looked at me confusingly.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Try student council.”</em> I said back.</p><p class="">She looked at me with curiosity as I walked away from her and down the brown brick sidewalk.</p><p class=""><em class="">“And don’t go beating up anymore students!”</em> I say back loudly as her figure turns to a speck.</p><p class="">I see her smiling as I look back. I continue to walk as I see a familiar face walk towards me.</p><p class="">“Hey, hey!” He calls.</p><p class="">“Oh, hey Erito.”</p><p class="">We walk beside each other as we make our way to school.</p><p class="">“I saw you talking to that Sakagami girl.”</p><p class="">“Hmm?”</p><p class="">I look at him confusingly.</p><p class="">“The dark-silver haired girl. You know, the one that beat up those delinquents near the P.E place…”</p><p class="">“Oh yeah… what about her?”</p><p class="">“Ehh, not much. She’s a transfer student like you, but she transferred domestically. My father told me to stay away from her so as to not cause trouble.”</p><p class="">“You know her personally?”</p><p class="">“No. My dad’s the principal.”</p><p class="">I look at him with shock as she stares back at me.</p><p class="">“Your dad’s Mr. Kanto?”</p><p class="">He nods as he questions my lack of knowledge.</p><p class="">“I thought you knew. Everybody knows.”</p><p class="">I look at him sheepishly. “I’ve been here for 4 days.”</p><p class="">He grins smugly as we continue to converse.</p><p class="">“How was your first time with the uhh…”</p><p class="">“Literature club?”</p><p class="">“Yeah that.”</p><p class="">“It was alright. Met some nice people there. But I had a encounter with one of th-”</p><p class="">“Natsuki?”</p><p class="">I look at him once again.</p><p class="">“Yeah… how did you know?”</p><p class="">He looks down as he twiddles his thumbs.</p><p class="">“Natsuki’s uhh… complicated. I heard she’s a total douchebag. She’s always rough and vicious to others and mentally unstable to a degree.”</p><p class="">I look at him sternly.</p><p class="">“Let me guess… your father told you that?”</p><p class="">He nods.</p><p class="">“Yeah, he d-”</p><p class="">I feel a body hit me as I stumble back a bit and fall onto the bricks. I grab my head in a bit of pain as I look up.</p><p class="">I see Natsuki clutching what seems to be ripped comic books of some sorts. Her clothes are ragged as scrapes protrude from her arms. Tears filled her eyes as she looked dead at me.</p><p class="">“Hey, you o-”</p><p class="">She quickly turned away and ran towards the school, hitting others in the process. Erito offers me a hand as he picks me up from the hard ground as we both look in confusion. Laughs can be heard from the right of us as we see a group comprised of both boys and girls laughing at whatever.</p><p class="">“Oh shit. Not them.”</p><p class="">“What do you m-”</p><p class="">Erito hushes me as we quickly divert our gaze and pace ourselves quickly towards the school. We reach the school as he talks once again.</p><p class="">“That group. You might want to stay away from them. Typical jocks. Amazing at sports, somehow quite good at studies as well. They take pleasure in harassing underlings. It’s really pathetic.”</p><p class="">“Why doesn’t your dad do anything about them then?” I ask curiously.</p><p class="">He sighs.</p><p class="">“Look. You seem nice and genuine and all, but it’s a private matter.” Erito says back adamantly.</p><p class="">I nod as we continue walking to our lockers. I can see him squirming a bit but I let it go.</p><p class="">“Sooo… what class do you have first?” He asks awkwardly.</p><p class="">“Oh, um, health.” I groan back.</p><p class="">He smiles as we both laugh. After finishing putting our stuff away, we bid each other farewell as we enter our classrooms. Health is… extremely boring. I’m pretty sure no one even pays attention in the class. I raise my hand midway through the lesson to excuse myself to the bathroom, but just really want a mental break from all that gibberish.</p><p class="">I slide open the door as I walk down the brightly-lit, empty hallways. I finish taking a leak and washing my hands as I make my way back to the classroom, when I hear a faint sobbing coming from one of the rooms. I place my ear close to the door as I confirm the crying of someone.</p><p class="">As curiosity gets the best of me, I peer through the window to see no-one. I slide open the door quietly as I attempt to track the sound. It gets louder and louder as I reach a dark backroom, to see Natsuki with her head buried in her knees, crying.</p><p class="">“Uhh… hey.” I say quietly.</p><p class="">She looks up at me as her face starts to get angrier.</p><p class="">“What do you want?” She asks angrily.</p><p class="">I slowly start to back off but can’t help myself to see someone like this. It was so much like me, back home. The resemblance, the emotion, the tension, the atmosphere, the sounds, everything. I look at her sadly as I kneel down against the wall next to her.</p><p class="">“You ok?” I ask.</p><p class="">She looks up.</p><p class="">“What? Are you fucking serious? Do you think I look ok? Do you actually ever use your brain for more than a hatrack?" She says back.</p><p class="">I look down as I see various books sprawled out on the wood floor. They’re all either creased or ripped as I see tear droplets surround the ground.</p><p class="">I hear a faint “sorry” as I still see Natsuki buried into her blazer. Sliding over to the books, I attempt my best to uncrease the tainted ones.</p><p class="">“So… I see you’re into comics then?”</p><p class="">She looks up with her red, strained eyes.</p><p class="">“They’re not comics baka, they’re manga. It’s literature.”</p><p class="">I look back at her.</p><p class="">“I didn’t dispute that they weren’t lit-”</p><p class="">“I don’t care.”</p><p class="">I sigh as I go back to attempting to uncrease the books. She looks at my work as she motions for me to stop.</p><p class="">“Stop it. You’re just going to ruin them.”</p><p class="">“Look, I almost got it.”</p><p class="">“I. Said. STOP!”</p><p class="">She violently flings a box at me as it clunks me on the top of my head. Luckily it was empty and made out of cardboard so it didn’t hurt much.</p><p class="">“Jesus, ok! Seriously, what the fuck’s your problem?!”</p><p class="">I stand over her as she shrivels up and buries herself further into the corner of the room. I look at her even worse now as I sit down opposite from her.</p><p class="">“Look. I know. They were your favourite books and you seem really passionate about them. But sulking in the corner and acting the way you are right now isn’t going to help anything. I’m sorry about what I tried to do and what I said earlier, but please. Shriveling up and burying yourself in the corner of the room isn’t helping anyone.”</p><p class="">She looks up at me.</p><p class="">“Why do you care? You’re always the popular type. Tall, toned, good at sports, academics, everything. You don’t know what it’s like to get bullied. You don’t know what it’s like to be me. Small, stupid, weak, one-trick pony at sports, average academics.”</p><p class="">I could see her face get redder as her eyes fill with tears once again.</p><p class="">“How could you possibly know what it’s like to be in my shoes, hmm?”</p><p class="">“Natsuki, I-”</p><p class="">“HOW COULD YOU KNOW, WAKING UP EVERYDAY KNOWING THAT AT LEAST ONE PERSON IS GOING TO RIDICULE YOU FOR THE THINGS THAT YOU ENJOY, OR THAT THEY WAY THAT YOU ARE.”</p><p class="">I look at her sadly as the memories play back like a holotape in my head. It was like an exact carbon copy of me. What was inside my torment and still is to this day. Her face is steaming with anger as her teeth grit against one another. Her eyes soaked as the translucent liquid creates a layer for the red rage underneath them.</p><p class="">“I know Natsuki. More than you realize, I know, what it’s like, having to wake up everyday fearing something.”</p><p class="">She looks at me intently as I see a little shock in her expression.</p><p class="">“But... it’s a private matter I’d rather not discuss.”</p><p class="">She nods slowly.</p><p class="">“Then just leave me then, please.”</p><p class="">I hold up one of her books titled “Parfait Girls” in my hand.</p><p class="">“But not without helping you first.”</p><p class="">She rolls her eyes.</p><p class="">‘Honestly. You’re so stubborn.”</p><p class="">She gets out of her slump position as we both work together to fix her manga back to it’s old shape. I see her occasionally sneak glances and look at me as I manage to fix some of her manga back into order, while the others are still decent, but a bit worse for wear.</p><p class="">“What happened exactly?” I ask as we are still un-creasing some of the books.</p><p class="">She looks down and avoids my gaze.</p><p class="">“Bullies. Especially that Sai Kanto.”</p><p class="">I look at her.</p><p class="">“Sai… Kanto?”</p><p class="">She nods as she sniffles.</p><p class="">“Yeah, him. It’s been going on for quite some time now. He does it to everyone, not only me. I don’t know why the school doesn’t do anything.”</p><p class="">“I… see. And that last name, it’s the uhh…”</p><p class="">She meets my gaze.</p><p class="">“The principals, yeah.”</p><p class="">Fuck me.</p><p class="">“You’re not serious are you?”</p><p class="">She shakes her head violently.</p><p class="">“What, you can’t take me seriously now? Everything I say is a fucking joke?”</p><p class="">I get taken aback a bit. “No, it’s just-”</p><p class="">“Just what?”</p><p class="">I sigh. “A lot to take in.” I say. “It’s not that you’re a joke, Natsuki. Seriously. Please stop undermining yourself so much.”</p><p class="">I put my hand on her small shoulder.</p><p class="">“Ok?”</p><p class="">I feel her body quiver as she nods.</p><p class="">“Yeah… ok.” She says.</p><p class="">We go back to attempting to fix her manga books. It's quite hard honestly. Time consuming as well. At least I found something better to do than health class.</p><p class="">“Thank you.” I hear Natsuki whisper quietly.</p><p class="">“Hmm?” I look at her confusingly.</p><p class="">She looks at me.</p><p class="">“What? I didn’t say anything.”</p><p class="">I nod as we compile the manga into a box and place it on top of one of the shelves. We admire our work for a bit as she pulls out another box of manga and picks one up in her hand.</p><p class="">‘What class do you have?” I ask.</p><p class="">“Just study-hall.”</p><p class="">I smile as I speak.</p><p class="">“Then I guess I’ll leave you to it then.”</p><p class="">She nods as I walk out of the room.</p><p class="">“Oh and another thing.” I say.</p><p class="">She peers up from her book as I reach into my shirt pocket and hand her a sakura flower.</p><p class="">“What? Why?” She asks.</p><p class="">“I don’t know. It reminds me of you in a sort of way. I just happened to pick a few up on the way to school so i just wanted you to have one.”</p><p class="">She takes the sakura from me as she motions for me to leave her. We bid each other farewell as I pass the empty wooden desks and open the door. Through the reflection of a mirror, I see her take the sakura and place it in her hair as she buries her face into her manga once again. I smile a bit as I make my way back to my health class.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Peter! Where have you been for so long! You were gone for almost 25 minutes!”</em>
</p><p class="">The whole class giggles as I sit next to Kousei.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Sorry teacher.”</em> I point to my stomach. <em class="">“Chronic diarrhea.”</em></p><p class="">The class howls as the teacher calms everyone down as the class resumes once more.</p><p class="">Class finishes swiftly as I enter my next subject of science. Everyone files in quickly as I see Natsuki walk through the door. We both look at each other as she sits a few desks away from me. I see Monika walk in as well as we give each other a wave as she sits next to Natsuki. The class begins as the teacher takes roll call and begins the lesson.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Ok class! As you know, science this year will have something different incorporated. Firstly, we will have lab experiments and things of that nature, but secondly, we will be having a field trip for around 2 days to explore the environment and ecosystem of Japan!”</em>
</p><p class="">The class sounds excited as I can’t help but feel excited as well. I never went on field trips, considering that my parents couldn’t afford me going to any of them, no matter how hard the teachers persisted.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Ok, folks! First things first, is that during this trip, you will have designated partners. We like to encourage teamwork here, but as well as adaptability. For that, your partners will be randomly selected.”</em>
</p><p class="">Oh how I wish they were not.</p><p class="">“It’s clearly hydrogen peroxide, you <em class="">baka</em>.”</p><p class="">We both peer at our textbooks as she uses her pencil to guide her evidence.</p><p class="">“See? H2O2.”</p><p class="">I hate chemistry on so many levels. And now with Natsuki for some reason being a chemistry-goddess and lecturing me, I might as well take an extra math course.</p><p class="">“Yes, I see it Natsuki.”</p><p class="">She scoffs as we continue to fill out our textbooks. She finishes the 3rd page as I am still stuck on the first one. What the fuck is a covalent bond? How am I supposed to know the atomic weight and number of these molecules? What is the chemical formula of bleach? Because I need to consume some of that right now.</p><p class="">She takes one good look at my paper and sighs. She rolls her eyes once more as she quickly fills out the answers and catches me up.</p><p class="">I need to do some serious studying after class.</p><p class="">“No, no, no, how is it a polar-covalent bond?”</p><p class="">“Uhh…”</p><p class="">She takes her pencil as she guides me.</p><p class="">“See? The electrons here are not equally shared because the atom in the context here spends more “time” so to say with the electrons than the other atom.”</p><p class="">Huh?</p><p class="">I nod in agreement as she goes back to her textbook once more. Even though I've basically been made a fool of, I can’t help but see Natsuki in a better mood. Maybe she could be some high-class chemist that finds the cure for cancer of something, I don’t know. Either way, it’s good to see her being lifted up in spirits again.</p><p class="">Class finally ends after a eternity of torture as we start to file out of the classroom. I see Tomoya and Sunohara in the hallways as I exchange waves to them. School seems quite boring as the classes pass through like a breeze. Lunch rolls around once again as I find myself sitting with Erito and his jazz mates. However, for some reason, everytime I would leave, I would always find a cookie missing from my bento box. I have no idea who it is really, could’ve been someone at my table most likely.</p><p class="">But I know who it truly is. That cheeky Sayori.</p><p class="">I sit down once again as I see Kousei, Kaori and a brown haired girl approach me.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Hey, what’s up?”</em> Kousei asks.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Not much, what’s going on?”</em> I ask.</p><p class="">Kousei moves to the side a bit. <em class="">“Well… you know how you got smacked with a baseball yesterday?”</em></p><p class=""><em class="">“Yeah? Thinking about it actually makes it hurt now that I think of it.”</em> I say jokingly.</p><p class="">The brown haired girl suddenly nudges Kousei out of the way and bows.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“I’m sorry for hitting you with the baseball yesterday.”</em>
</p><p class="">I’m taken aback a bit as I quickly return the bow.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Oh, no worries. It’s all good over here.”</em>
</p><p class="">She smiles as she extends her hand.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“I’m Tsubaki. Tsubaki Sawabe.”</em>
</p><p class="">I return her handshake.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Peter Hatake.”</em>
</p><p class="">We smile as we converse for a bit. Another brown haired person walks to the conversation.</p><p class=""><em class="">“What’s going on?”</em> He asks.</p><p class="">He’s relatively tall. Lanky, but athletic.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Oh, that’s the guy Tsubaki pelted yesterday.”</em> Kaori answers back laughingly.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Ohhhh, ahahaha.”</em> He laughs. He extends his as I shake it.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Ryota Watari!”</em> He calls out.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Pet-”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Oh it’s alright, I know you already. Mr. Chronic Diarrhea.”</em>
</p><p class="">We both laugh as the group eventually leaves and sits at their own table. Lunch passes quite fast as the rest of the day is rather mundane. Homeroom comes and goes as other student’s pick up the house-cleaning duties. Erito follows me out of the room but I don’t say a word to him. I feel a bit of uneasiness as he pipes up.</p><p class="">“Dude, what’s up? Erito asks. “You got a fever or something?”</p><p class="">I look at him dead straight in the eyes.</p><p class="">“Erito… can I ask you something?”</p><p class="">“Sure man, anything.”</p><p class="">I pull him to a corner of the hallway as I question him.</p><p class="">“Who the hell is Sai Kanto?”</p><p class="">He avoids my gaze.</p><p class="">“I-I don’t know.”</p><p class="">I look at him sternly.</p><p class="">“Erito. Who, is he?”</p><p class="">“Like I said, I don’t know.”</p><p class="">I see the look on his eyes as he avoids my gaze once more. I sigh and let the question go as I begin to walk away.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“He’s… my brother.”</em>
</p><p class="">I stop dead in my tracks as I look back at him. I approach him once more as he sits on a chair facing the window. I sit down next to him as the sun shines through the glass, illuminating him as he continues.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“My dad and mom got… into an argument. Pretty nasty divorce followed suit. Me and my brother got split up. We had a good relationship. He always mentored me in many things and taught me a vast array of interests as well. But after… It was just a bloodbath. I didn’t know who they were anymore. The brother I once knew was gone. And that leader of that… “group.”"</em>
</p><p class="">“Is your brother.” I say back.</p><p class="">He nods as he sobs quietly.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Yeah. Mom made him go to this school I’m pretty sure just to spite my dad. The head allowed it as his grades were outstanding and his sports play and extracurricular activities were on par as well. I honestly don’t know why we all just can’t get along. I know he’s hurting deep inside and that’s why he takes it out on other people.”</em>
</p><p class="">He cries more as I place my hand on his shoulder. He covers my hand as he speaks again.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“That fateful day. After it, I never wanted anything to do with the word “Kanto” again. I instead just used my middle-name to replace it.”</em>
</p><p class="">I offer him some tissues as he thanks me and dries his salted tears. I stand up and offer him my hand as he smiles and takes it. We walk down together through the hallways as we stand at the gate.</p><p class="">“If there’s anything I can do, just say the word yeah?”</p><p class="">He nods as he thanks me.</p><p class="">“Thanks man. I’m totally going to cry like that when I win the soccer championship for our school.”</p><p class="">“You and Watari? No way.” I scoff.</p><p class="">We both laugh as we give each other a developed handshake we made.</p><p class="">“See you around, man.” I say.</p><p class="">He nods as we wave goodbye to each other. I walk down the same path home as I enter my home and close the door. Struggle studying and an easy dinner follows suit as I shower and change into some fresh clothes. I drop into my bed as my phone rings as a notification pops up, I bring my phone to my face as the screen shines brightly against my eyes, showing a text from Natsuki. I open it as it shows a photo of a dunce cap with the caption “I got you something for chem class.” I fire back with a sad face as I put my phone down on my bed. I close my eyes once more as I tuck myself into bed.</p><p class="">That “Sai” person though. What do I do about him?</p><p class="">I put those thoughts aside as I enter a deep slumber. Itching for the new opportunities ahead.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 6: An Antagonistic Encounter</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class=""><em class=""><strong class="">Feature: Italics</strong></em> <strong class="">mean speaking in Japanese.</strong></p><p class=""> </p><p class="">
  <strong class="">Chapter 6: An Antagonistic Encounter</strong>
</p><p class="">“And just like that right?” I ask.</p><p class="">“Yeah, just a few touch-ups and we’’ll be good to go!” Erito says back.</p><p class="">I smile happily as I pack up my drum sticks and sheet music.</p><p class="">“<em class="">Hey! Next class he’s ours!”</em> Kaori calls out to Erito from the piano.</p><p class="">He gives a sheepish grin and a thumbs up as we thank our music teacher and walk out of the classroom. I wave goodbye to Erito as I make my way to the principal’s office once more. I knock on the sliding door as I open it.</p><p class="">“Hey, come on in!” The principal says.</p><p class="">I close the door behind me as I leave my things as the bottom of the coat rack and take a seat on his couch. He gets up out of his seat and walks to the chair opposite of me as he too takes a seat as well.</p><p class="">“So. How are things after your first week?”</p><p class="">I get comfortable as I begin.</p><p class="">“School’s been quite good honestly. The people I’ve met and seen are really nice here. The atmosphere is calming and soothing as the faculty is really nice as well. Teacher’s are doing quite amazing jobs in handling and teaching students the material as well as the students being respectful and having their participation in class.”</p><p class="">“That’s nice to hear. And what clubs are you in?”</p><p class="">“Oh, the literature club and the baseball club.”</p><p class="">We talk some more as he offers me a cup of tea. I gladly accept it as he obliges and pours me a cup.</p><p class="">“You know… my son Erito has been talking quite a lot about you.”</p><p class="">I look up from the glass.</p><p class="">“Really? I hope they’re good things then.” I say jokingly.</p><p class="">The principal laughs a bit as he continues.</p><p class="">“Yeah, they really are just good things. He talks about how you’re so smart and athletic and all that. And a really good friend as well.”</p><p class="">I feel a little warm inside as he says that.</p><p class="">“Wow, uhh… thanks. That really means a lot.”</p><p class="">He smiles as we talk some more. He then stands up after a few minutes as he offers me his hand.</p><p class="">“I’m glad I got to talk with you, Peter. They’re quite enjoyable.’</p><p class="">“The feelings are mutual.” I say back.</p><p class="">We give each other a firm handshake as I take my things as I leave the room. I look at my phone as I realize I’m running late to the literature club meeting. I run down the hallways as I make it to room 1-17 and open the door.</p><p class="">I see Sayori with her textbook out as Yuri is engulfed in her book. Monika is on the teacher’s desk as usual but Natsuki is nowhere to be seen.</p><p class="">“Sorry I’m late. I had a meeting with the principal.” I say.</p><p class="">Monika smiles and nods.</p><p class="">“It’s alright. I think we’ve all had stressful days.”</p><p class="">We all laugh for a bit as I place my things down on a desk and look around the room.</p><p class="">“Where’s Natsuki?’ I ask Sayori.</p><p class="">“Oh, she’s probably in the-”</p><p class="">“MONNNIKAAAAAAA!”</p><p class="">We all look back to see Natsuki in a heap of sweat as her blazer is wrapped around her like a towel.</p><p class="">“Yes, Natsuki?”</p><p class="">Natsuki grits her teeth and she points to Monika.</p><p class="">“I know it was you, Monika.”</p><p class="">Monika looks confused.</p><p class="">“What’re you talking about Natsuki?”</p><p class="">“Oh don’t act like you don’t know. Putting my manga on the top shelf of the cupboard. Real funny joke.”</p><p class="">Monika sighs as she gets out of her chair and follows Natsuki into the back of the room. She pleads that it wasn’t her but Natsuki isn’t buying it. I’m more or less tuned out at this point as I whipped out my math textbook, when after a while Monika taps me on the shoulder.</p><p class="">“Hmm?”</p><p class="">“Sorry, but I can’t really get up to reach for her books. Do you think maybe you could try?”</p><p class="">I nodded as Monika thanked me and returned to her usual spot. I make my way back to the room to see Natsuki still trying to reach for her manga, attempting to make a stool out of boxes she used to no avail.</p><p class="">“Need some help?” I ask.</p><p class="">Natsuki looks at me as she shoo’s me away. I stand and watch with my arms crossed as she attempts to reach the box again. Only to be met with failure.</p><p class="">“Here, let me have a crack at it.” I say.</p><p class="">I usher Natsuki to the side as I gently pick up the box from the top shelf and onto the floor. It’s weird honestly. Either someone used a chair or a stool to put the box up there, or someone tall did it. Someone not of Monika’s height, or even Yuri.</p><p class="">“There you go.” I say back to Natsuki. I move one of the other book boxes to the side to open a spot for her manga boxes. She blushes as a bit as she thanks me for my work as I make my exit when I accidentally trip on a manga box.</p><p class="">I grab my hip in pain as Natsuki's shocked expression of slight worry turns to laughter. I laugh a bit as well as I get myself up and pick up the books I tripped over. She takes it from me as she smiles and hands it back to me.</p><p class="">“Oh, no, I didn’t plan on taking it.”</p><p class="">Natsuki pouted as she insisted I take it.</p><p class="">“Trust me. It’s really good.”</p><p class="">“It’s alright, I don’t really want to.”</p><p class="">Natsuki pleaded once more that I take it as I finally caved. I took it from her and looked at the cover.</p><p class="">“I’ve heard of this before. Usually people just referring to it.”</p><p class="">She nods in delight.</p><p class="">“Of course! It’s Dragon Ball after all. It’s essentially engraved into culture by now.”</p><p class="">“I guess I could try reading it.”</p><p class="">Natsuki smiled smugly as she exited the room with me. I reached my bag and pulled out some tissues and offered it to her.</p><p class="">“Trust me. Sweat droplets on book pages really suck.”</p><p class="">She blushed as she yanked the tissues from my hand and thanked me. I made my way back to my seat as I opened up the book.</p><p class="">The pages were in a simplistic, yet vibrant black and white. I began reading the illustrations and words as my eyes travelled from right to left. The sheets breathed artistic expertise and craftsmanship as the lexicon used spoke of development and character intuition. The pages drew me in like a magnet as my eyes were glued onto the paper. It was like I couldn’t stop reading, like a drug that just made me want to use it more and more.</p><p class="">I finished the manga after around an hour as I made my way to Natsuki sitting down at her usual spot on a wall. I held up the book as I gave it back to her.</p><p class="">“You, don’t like it?” She asked sadly.</p><p class="">“Yeah I didn't like it that much.” I responded mundanely.</p><p class="">I could see her get a bit agitated as I saw her walk towards the back room. I followed suit as she delicately placed back the Dragon Ball manga back into the shelf with the others ones. I reached for and took the second volume from the shelf as she stared at me with visible confusion.</p><p class="">“I thought you didn’t like it?” She asked with some confusion and added agitation.</p><p class="">“Yeah, like I said, I didn’t.”</p><p class="">I waved the second volume to her as I exited the backroom.</p><p class="">I loved it.” I said with a smug smile.</p><p class="">Natsuki’s face beamed with an angelic expression as she returned out of the back room with me. I sat down at my desk as I opened some salmon with a new recipe I tried. I offered everyone a piece as they took it all with delight (especially Sayori). I eventually made my way to Natsuki sitting down in her usual spot, leaning against a wall.</p><p class="">“You want some?” I asked her kindly.</p><p class="">She looked at me as her stomach grumbled once more. I took the sign as I offered her some of my food.</p><p class="">“I don’t want it.” She said with an annoyed expression.</p><p class="">I looked at her sheepishly.</p><p class="">“I took your recommendation of reading Manga for the first time so I think it’s a fair trade if you take my recommendation of trying this new food.” I say as I wink.</p><p class="">She takes it slowly as she sniffs it and takes a bite.</p><p class="">“What… is it?” She asked.</p><p class="">“Oh not much. Just a new salmon recipe I tried.”</p><p class="">She took another bite as she gobbled the entire fish down. I stared partially happy and sad, as watching another person enjoy the food I cook, but now without the satisfaction of a happy stomach.</p><p class="">“What’d you think?” I ask.</p><p class="">She wipes her mouth with the tissue’s I offered her.</p><p class="">“Ehh… not bad. I could do much better.”</p><p class="">“Well, I’d like to see you try.”</p><p class="">We both laugh a little bit as I go back to my desk and engulf myself with the new addition of manga once more.</p><p class="">The club ends as the familiar sound of the bell rings. Everyone waves goodbye as they all file out of the room. We say our farewells at the gate as Natsuki surprisingly walks with me.</p><p class="">“I thought you usually walked that way with Yuri.”</p><p class="">“Oh, no. I’m meeting at a bakery that’s down this way. Like anyone would ever voluntarily walk with you.”</p><p class="">She laughed a bit as a little part of my soul died. We walked with each other discussing various elements of manga and literature as we saw a figure in the distance.</p><p class="">Our conversation briefly stopped as we both recognized that shape. I couldn’t really make out who it surely was, but I had a good idea.</p><p class="">I glanced over at Natsuki who had her fists curled up in a ball as she started trembling. I inched closer as I finally got a good view of their characteristics.</p><p class="">A long, tall, black-haired individual stood outside the bakery, facing us. He wore a simple t-shirt as he held a bottle of beer in his hand. He grinned menacingly as he spoke.</p><p class="">‘Huh. Looks like it’s manga-bitch once again.”</p><p class="">He shifted his gaze to me.</p><p class="">“And the highly-esteemed transfer student.”</p><p class="">I stared directly into his black pupils as I stood on the cold, hard concrete. The wind blew past us as the rustling leaves of the trees echoed in the distance. The orange sky loomed over us as I opened my mouth.</p><p class="">“Look. We don’t want any trouble Sai. I know who you are and your reputation as it clearly precedes you.”</p><p class="">“Well then I get to cut immediately to the chase then right?”</p><p class="">He inched towards us as I stood my ground firmly. He was about an inch shorter than me as Natsuki backed a bit away.</p><p class="">“Tell me, Peter. How many stories have you been told?” He asked smugly.</p><p class="">“About you? About all I need to know.” I responded back harshly.</p><p class="">He dropped the beer bottle onto the ground as it shattered into a million glass shards.</p><p class="">“Good then. Makes this a whole lot easier.”</p><p class="">I hear footsteps behind me as I look back quickly. 2 thugs around 17-18 years of age creep from the shadows as the streetlight lit their presence. I dropped my school bag and got prepared for the inevitable as Natsuki put her fists up as well.</p><p class="">Without a second to ponder, Sai lunged at me as I deflected his blow. He came in with a sweeping quick as I hastily jumped back.</p><p class="">This guy was good. He knew what he was doing.</p><p class="">I pounced on him as she blocked my attacks with me doing the same. Our eyes staring into each other as we tried to anticipate each other’s moveset. It was like a fighting game, except let’s say, you don’t play with controllers.</p><p class="">I saw Natsuki run quickly inside the bakery store as we both nodded to each other. Defending against 3 people was hard enough as it already was. I blocked Sai’s punch as the 2 goons came at me quickly as I evaded their attacks. I attempted to dodge their attacks once more, but to no avail.</p><p class="">With a punch to my jaw and another punch to my abdomen, I staggered back to catch my breath. The 2 delinquents were breathing heavily as well, with Sai the only one still staying relatively calm.</p><p class="">“Well then. Looks like you weren’t all that you were made up to be.” Sai said tauntingly.</p><p class="">“I guess not. But I got a whole lot more in the tank.”</p><p class="">They all looked at each other and laughed as they pounced on me once more. I evaded their attacks swiftly as I blocked and countered. Even with a valiant effort, I was no match for all 3 of them, or maybe even just Sai. My legs were wobbling as my foot slipped against the concrete as Sai’s knee connected with my stomach.</p><p class="">I fell back quickly as they kicked me down onto my back. My back fell against the pavement as my right wrist banged onto the metal of the street lamp. My left arm however, took the most as it fell on the multiple glass shards that was created from the smashed bottle.</p><p class="">I screamed in pain and agony as the 3 assailants looked onward as I bled. Crimson liquid poured from my arm as I yelped in torment. It was like a million needles stabbed all at once into me. Tears streamed from my eyes as I tried to pick myself up, only to be met with a foot on my chest.</p><p class="">“I’ll fucking kill you.” I said back through a painful voice.</p><p class="">“Aww. Is the baby transfer student crying? Let’s help you with that.” Sai said menacingly.</p><p class="">He took his other foot as he gently pressed against my left arm. I screamed once again in shock and affliction as I could feel the shards enter deeper into me. Sai knelt down towards me as he raised his fist.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Tell Erito, I said hello.”</em> He muttered in front of me.</p><p class="">His fist dived towards me as it was caught in mid-air. I moved my head a bit as I saw a tall, muscular man with a cigarette tower over the other boys.</p><p class=""><em class="">“What have we got here?”</em> He asked sternly.</p><p class="">The other began to pounce on the man to no avail. He socked them all cleanly as he made a clean punch to Sai. He staggered back as he was caught by his mates.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“You all have the same uniform as my daughter. It’s truly a shame that you wear it.”</em>
</p><p class="">He took out a baseball bat as the metallic finish of the silver weapon glistened in the light. The boys began to back away in fear as they ran away, practically stepping on each other.</p><p class="">I was still breathing heavily and in much pain as the figure stood over me. I saw Natsuki run out of the store with speed as she put her hands over her mouth while making her way towards me. Tomoya suddenly stepped out with a brown-haired girl as he rushed towards me.</p><p class=""><em class="">“God dammit Peter! What the hell happened?”</em> Tomoya asked profusely.</p><p class=""><em class="">“That Sai Kanto again.”</em> The man said.</p><p class="">Tomoya gritted his teeth in anger as he attempted to pick me up. The man helped him as well as I was carried into the bakery store. Natsuki followed suit as the brown-haired girl asked what was going on. An older lady stepped out as well as she gasped in fear and quickly made medical arrangements.</p><p class="">I was put sitting down on a wooden floor as Tomoya sat opposite of me. The older lady quickly brought medical supplies as she tended to my wounds.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Ok. We’ll do this fast and easy.”</em> The lady said to me.</p><p class="">I looked at her and nodded as she began.</p><p class="">I howled in pain as the agony of rubbing alcohol and the gentle removal of the shards was put onto my arm. Natsuki left and came back quickly with a towel as I bit into it to ease the sounds of the house.</p><p class="">After what seemed like an eternity, the treatment was finally over as my arm was bandaged with little indents and cuts left by the glass shards. The blood that I had tracked onto the floor was cleaned as I sat in the light.</p><p class=""><em class="">“That fucking guy. I swear to God i’ll fucking end him.”</em> Tomoya said angrily.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Tomoya, stop.”</em> I said weakly. <em class="">“It’s over now, we can get him later.”</em></p><p class="">He sat in silence as his face flared with anger.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Fine. But we will bring him to justice.”</em>
</p><p class="">I smiled weakly as the lady came back to check on me.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“How are you doing cutie pie? Luckily those shards of glass weren’t deep.”</em>
</p><p class=""><em class="">“Much better now, thanks to you. I didn’t know you could patch people up so well.”</em> I said happily.</p><p class="">She smiled as she called for Tomoya to follow her. Natsuki came in shortly after as she sat next to me. She curled up as she started crying.</p><p class="">“That Sai Kanto. Why? Why does he do things like this?”</p><p class="">I looked down as I responded.</p><p class="">“Because he’s hurt inside.”</p><p class="">She looked up at me.</p><p class="">“So? How do you know that? He’s probably just a fucking douchebag. That still doesn’t give an excuse for him to be doing things like this.”</p><p class="">I sighed as I spoke.</p><p class="">“He’s Erito’s brother.”</p><p class="">She seemed taken aback.</p><p class="">“What?”</p><p class="">“Yeah. He and Erito used to be really close. Family was good and everything until their parents divorced. After that, he really just harboured a great hatred. Taking his anger out on the things he knows he has control over.”</p><p class="">“And the principal. Is-”</p><p class="">“Yeah. His son. If he ever just so lays a finger on Sai, who knows what will happen to his career.”</p><p class="">Natsuki looked down.</p><p class="">“I... didn't know that.”</p><p class="">I looked up at the ceiling.</p><p class="">“Yeah. Sucks doesn’t it?’</p><p class="">“Yeah.”</p><p class="">We looked at each other and laughed a bit as to lighten up the mood. I looked directly at her as she exchanged the look.</p><p class="">“Natsuki?”</p><p class="">“Yeah?”</p><p class="">“Thank you. For helping me.”</p><p class="">“Of course. How could the great Natsuki ever let someone close get hurt?”</p><p class="">I smiled.</p><p class="">“Im serious.”</p><p class="">I looked down.</p><p class="">“Imagine if you weren’t there. Imagine if I was walking alone on the dark streets and got jumped like that, with no one to help me. You could say that it was just pure luck and coincidence that you were there at the same time with me, conveniently walking down the same road to our destinations, but I’m just calling it like how I see it. Thank you, really. For being there.”</p><p class="">I looked at her as she sunk down and blushed, twiddling her thumbs. She avoided my gaze as she stared down at the wood floor and she smiled and spoke.</p><p class="">“Well of course, baka. You’re a complete klutz so of course I’m supposed to show you around. Like Jiraiya-Sensei and Naruto.”</p><p class="">“Huh?”</p><p class="">She looked at me.</p><p class="">“We are so getting you to watch anime.”</p><p class="">We both laughed as we heard a voice calling us to dinner. I looked at Natsuki confusingly as she jumped and assured me it was ok.</p><p class="">“What, are you gonna starve?” She asked.</p><p class="">“For the ability to go super saiyan? Yeah.” I said jokingly.</p><p class="">She chuckled as she extended her hand.</p><p class="">“Then I guess you need a super saiyan strength hand then.”</p><p class="">I looked up at her as I grabbed her soft, delicate hand. Her face reddened as our hands connected for the first time.</p><p class="">“Something the matter?”</p><p class="">She looked up at me then down.</p><p class="">“What? Of course not you idiot!”</p><p class="">She gave me a little elbow to the side of my gut as I grabbed it in pain. With a “hmph” sound, she walked away as I followed suit.</p><p class="">What a crazy girl. She’s bitchy, she’s angry all the time, and she’s super small and practically looks like a toothbrush.</p><p class="">A toothbrush with a fiery personality and heart, that is.</p><p class="">I laughed a bit to myself as I entered the dining room to see the same man who saved me, an older woman, a brown-haired girl and Tomoya as Natsuki sat down. I sat next to her as all the other spots were filled as she insisted I stay at least 2 feet from her to avoid her wrath.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Sorry about not introducing myself, I’m Furukawa Sanae.”</em> The woman spoke.</p><p class="">I bowed my head to her as I thanked her once again for her troubles.</p><p class=""><em class="">“That’s Akio, my husband.”</em> She said as she pointed to the man with the cigarette. He gave me a “yo” as I exchanged one back.</p><p class=""><em class="">“And that’s my beloved daughter, Nagisa.”</em> She ended as she pointed to the brown-haired girl sitting next to Tomoya. I bowed to her as she bowed to me as well.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Oh! Sorry if this is sudden, but can you give an opinion on a recipe I’m trying?”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Uhh… sure.”</em>
</p><p class="">She brought out a piece of bread as I graciously took it. I observed it closely as I took a chomp down on it.</p><p class="">
  <strong class="">...</strong>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“It-s”</em>
</p><p class="">Tomoya suddenly motioned for me and practically begged for me to say it was good. I gestured for him back confusingly as he begged once more to say that it was good.</p><p class=""><em class="">“It’s what?”</em> Sanae asked.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Pretty good.”</em> I said.</p><p class="">Sanae leaped for joy.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“And that’s a masterchef’s approval!”</em>
</p><p class="">I looked to Akio who nodded in approval and thanked me as well. Nagisa breathed a sigh of relief as Natsuki turned and whispered into my ear.</p><p class="">“Just say it’s good whenever she offers you something.”</p><p class="">I nodded back at her.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Like my food I make and offer to you then?”</em>
</p><p class="">She grinned.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Just like the food you make.”</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Chapter 7: Heartfelt Truths and Battles</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="">
  <strong>Feature: <em>Italics mean speaking in Japanese.</em></strong>
</p><p class=""> </p><p class="">
  <strong>Chapter 7: Heartfelt Truths and Battles</strong>
</p><p class="">I wake up soundly to the noises of birds chirping. The sky illuminates throughout the earth as the sun beats through my curtains. I groggily sit up as my arm still stings from the events of the day prior. The bandaged wounds exemplify the sheer horror of that day not too long ago. I roll up slowly out of bed when the door slams open.</p><p class="">“Come on! You’re gonna be late!”</p><p class="">I look to see Natsuki already dressed and beckoning me to hurry. I look at my phone wearily to see the time.</p><p class="">“8:21 already?!” I exclaim. I quickly move to gather my things as i scurry out of my futon.</p><p class="">So much has happened in such a short amount of time. I insisted that I go home after their nice dinner, but the Furukawa’s wouldn’t hear it and insisted that I stay the night with them. I was elegantly placed in a room after dinner alone as Natsuki slept over in another, probably Nagisa’s I’m thinking.</p><p class="">I quickly change into my school attire as I gather my things. My bag is cleaned and tidied as it sits near the exit of the house. I wash-up quickly as well as i make my way to the exit.</p><p class="">“Thank you so much again, Mrs. Sanae!” I say as she sits at the counter.</p><p class="">She beams a smile as she waves me goodbye and good luck on my trip to school. I intend to skip breakfast as Natsuki offers me a cupcake.</p><p class="">“Here you go. Freshly baked.”</p><p class="">“No it’s okay, I don’t plan on-”</p><p class="">“Just take it! Or you’ll be late and be starved half to death.”</p><p class="">I took her advice as I took the pastry from her and thanked her again. We both swung open the door as we waved goodbye to the nice hosts.</p><p class="">“Why didn’t you wake me up earlier?” I ask Natsuki.</p><p class="">“What? I’m not your mom you know. I can’t take care of you 24/7.”</p><p class="">I smile as I commend her fair point. We both practically run to school as we dodge past people walking down the street as well. We’re huffing and puffing as we finally make it to the entrance of the school.</p><p class="">I whip out my phone to check the time.</p><p class="">“Looks like we’re right on time.” I say.</p><p class="">She smiles through her panting breaths as we make our way to our lockers, cooling off in the process.</p><p class="">“Imagine if I didn’t wake you up.” Natsuki says. “You would have stayed dead asleep.”</p><p class="">I laugh for a bit as I give a little nudge to her shoulder.</p><p class="">“Well then, guess I was fortunate to have you with me then.”</p><p class="">Her face reddened a bit as I thanked her once more. We made our way upstairs as we divided into our rooms.</p><p class="">“Don’t forget, Literature Club after school!” Natsuki calls out.</p><p class="">I give her a smile and a nod.</p><p class="">“And don’t be late like last time!”</p><p class="">I stick my hand out of the door with a thumbs-up as I go back into the room. I see Erito sitting alone as I come up to him. He looks at my arm in shock as he immediately get’s up to inspect it.</p><p class="">“Jesus! Are you ok?!”</p><p class="">“Yeah I’m fine.” I say back.</p><p class="">He looks into me with fear.</p><p class="">“Don’t worry.” I say to him. “I can still play the drums, I think.”</p><p class="">He breathes a sigh of relief as he questions me.</p><p class="">“Who did this to you? If it was yourself, I am so slapping the nonsense out of you.”</p><p class="">I look at him dead in the eyes as he meets my gaze.</p><p class="">“Yeah… about that. We’re going to have to talk later. After class.”</p><p class="">His face turns into visible confusion as he stares at me.</p><p class="">
  <strong class="">Some time later after classes…</strong>
</p><p class="">“He what?!”</p><p class="">Me and Erito walk down the hallways to our lunch break.</p><p class="">“Yeah, no shit. Guy fucking jumped me with his friends for no reason. Probably because I was affiliated with you I’m thinking.”</p><p class="">He looks at me with sadness.</p><p class="">“So you’re going to quit being my friend then?”</p><p class="">I stare at him as I put a hand on his shoulder.</p><p class="">“Not at all. You’re practically one of the first people to befriend me. No way I’m going to abandon you. Besides, who else is going to tell the stories of their school day to their father?”</p><p class="">Erito laughs quietly as his face reddens a bit.</p><p class="">“Thanks man.”</p><p class="">I smile back at him as I leave for my locker.</p><p class="">“Hey um…”</p><p class="">I look back at him.</p><p class="">“Something up?”</p><p class="">He looks away.</p><p class="">“Can I just talk to you for a second?”</p><p class="">I walked up to him as we both sit down on that same bench a few days ago. He breathes in a big sigh as he covers his hand with his face.</p><p class="">“Peter?”</p><p class="">“Yeah?”</p><p class="">“Why can’t everyone get along?”</p><p class="">I look at him sadly.</p><p class="">“Well, I mea-”</p><p class="">He stops me.</p><p class="">“I mean like, why do we all have to fight? Why? Is it so hard to ask for peace between my family members? My friends? I know it’s a stupid thing to say, but I honestly just want this all to end. Just like that. With a snap of my fingers, everything will go back to what they once were.”</p><p class="">I look out longingly at the sun.</p><p class="">“It’s not really-”</p><p class="">“Can I FINISH?!”</p><p class="">I get taken aback by his sudden remark as his face wells up with tears. He stands up quickly as he continues.</p><p class="">“Why I keep asking myself. Why was I put with this life? Why did my parents have to fight over something so trivial? Everyday I wake up, fearing for my own fucking life, having a dad who barely takes care of you, someone who you are forced to show fake emotion to. To a mom, who isn’t even at the house and is so drunk on her own ego that she fails to see the actions of her eldest son!”</p><p class="">He points his finger up to me.</p><p class="">“And don’t even get me fucking started on him. That dipshit has been torturing me for my whole damn life. What does it take, hmm?”</p><p class="">He stares at me as he flares up with anger.</p><p class="">“TELL ME WHAT DOES IT TAKE? BECAUSE I’LL FOR SURE FUCKING DO IT.”</p><p class="">“Erito, sto-.”</p><p class="">“SHUT UP PETER!”</p><p class="">I stand up to meet his gaze.</p><p class="">“Erito, what the hell’s been going on with you?”</p><p class="">“YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT’S GOING ON? FINE.”</p><p class="">He grabs me by the shoulders.</p><p class="">“I FUCKING DID IT OK?”</p><p class="">“Did wha-”</p><p class="">“I DID IT. IT WAS ME. I FUCKING ALLOWED THE WHOLE SHITSHOW TO CONTINUE. IT WAS BECAUSE OF MY, DUMB, NAIVE BRAIN THAT I DECIDED TO NOT TO DO ANYTHING“</p><p class="">His tears stream down his face as his teeth grits with anger.</p><p class="">“IMAGINE IF I STOPPED IT ALL. THEN EVERYTHING WOULD’VE BEEN FINE. BUT NO, I JUST HAD TO LET IT CONTINUE. IT WAS ALL FUCKING ME.”</p><p class="">“That hardly sounds like that’s any of your fault.” I say to him softly.</p><p class="">He falls to his knees as he cries more and more.</p><p class="">“I HATE MYSELF OK? IS THAT SO HARD TO UNDERSTAND? THAT I WAS THE CATALYST THAT ALLOWED MY FAMILY TO SUFFER SO MUCH TORMENT AND HATRED? IF I HAD JUST KEPT MY MOUTH SHUT, NONE OF THIS WOULD’VE HAPPENED. I WAS THE WEAPON THAT CAUSED IT ALL!”</p><p class="">I kneel down next to him.</p><p class="">“Erito, I.”</p><p class="">I look at him sadly.</p><p class="">“I’m sorry that this has happened to you. But you can’t blame yourself for something that’s out of your control.”</p><p class="">He looks up at me angrily.</p><p class="">“You seriously did not just say that.”</p><p class="">He gets up quickly.</p><p class="">“YOU JUST- DON’T UNDERSTAND. AT WHAT COST DID I DO THAT FOR? I’M PRETTY SURE THAT IF AN ACTION YOU’VE DONE STILL HAUNTS YOU TO THIS DAY, THAT IT WASN’T FUCKING WORTH IT.”</p><p class="">“Erito, please calm down.” I said to him.</p><p class="">“JUST SHUT UP PETER! YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE TO FEEL MY PAIN. I DON’T HAVE THE LUXURY OF TRANSFERRING TO ANOTHER SCHOOL TO ESCAPE MY PROBLEMS.”</p><p class="">I look at him with confusion and anger.</p><p class="">“How did you…”</p><p class="">“I read your student report. Do you know how many people would love to be in your situation? Easily escaping their hellish situation.”</p><p class="">He advances towards me.</p><p class="">“TO HAVE THE PRIVILEGE TO ESCAPE IT ALL?!”</p><p class="">He pushes me as he hits my bandaged arm. I yelp in pain as I grab my arm in agony. Erito shakes as he looks at me with tears streaming down his eyes.</p><p class="">“Oh my fucking God! I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry, please forgive me-”</p><p class="">He rushes towards me as he stops.</p><p class="">“See?! This is what I meant. I’m a fucking failure. I can’t even be a good person and even hurt one of my wounded friends.”</p><p class="">I look at him as he starts crying even more now as he curls up into a ball-like shape in the middle of the room. I walk up to him as I place both of my hands on his shoulders.</p><p class="">“Go away.” He says. “Just leave me.”</p><p class="">I smile for a bit as I sit down next to him.</p><p class="">“I know how hard this must be for you. Everyday of my life, I would wake up, not knowing about what was going to happen. That I was the reason that my family was suffering. That I had the power to stop it, yet didn’t do anything. Like I was a puppet, being controlled by my family. Yes, I know. You might think that I had escaped it all, but it’s like their pieces are still with me. Like they’re clinging on to me. I tried to forgive them but I just can’t. Not now. Maybe never. But one thing is for sure. That it’s not stupid to wish for peace among your brethren and friends.”</p><p class="">He looks up at me as he smiles.</p><p class="">“God. Imagine what I would do without you.”</p><p class="">I get up as I stand over him.</p><p class="">“Guess our spontaneous friendship makes sense then.”</p><p class="">I extend a hand to him.</p><p class="">“Come on. Our stomachs aren’t gonna wait for us.”</p><p class="">He smiles as he laughs and takes my hand. We both walk to our lockers as he goes to the bathroom.</p><p class="">“See you in a bit, yeah?” He says.</p><p class="">I nod as I smile.</p><p class="">“Yeah bro, no worries.”</p><p class="">I walk away as Erito calls for me.</p><p class="">“Hey, Peter?”</p><p class="">I look back.</p><p class="">“Yeah?”</p><p class="">“Thanks again. For everything.”</p><p class="">I smile as I give him a nod.</p><p class="">“No problem, chief.”</p><p class="">I walk to my locker as I grab my things and head towards the lunch room. I make my way down the hallway when I hear some rustling coming from the music room to the right. The door swings open violently as I see Kaori pushed out, clutching her violin.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Get away from me!”</em> Kaori screams.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Just, let me borrow it!”</em>
</p><p class="">I see Sai storm out of the room as Kousei grabs him from behind. Sai swings Kousei out as his arm bangs against the wooden door. Kaori looks at me with fear in her eyes as she runs and hides behind me.</p><p class=""><em class="">“The fuck is going on?!”</em> I ask Kaori.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“It’s him again. I told him that I can’t let him borrow my violin and he suddenly lashed out at me.”</em>
</p><p class="">I grit my teeth in anger as I drop my things. Kousei is bleeding from his mouth as Sai pounces on him, beating the life out of the boy.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Go to the nurse’s office.”</em> I say to Kaori. <em class="">She nods and runs down the hallway as I leap onto Sai.</em></p><p class=""><em class="">“Grrh. You again? Looks like my job wasn’t finished.”</em> Sai said angrily.</p><p class="">He pushed me off as I pushed him back, into the music room. Kousei looked at me with a daze as I helped him get up.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Get away from here. Go to the nurse’s room, Kaori is already waiting for you there.”</em>
</p><p class="">Kousei nods as he clutches his bleeding nose and makes a run for it.</p><p class="">I stare at Sai, holding one arm up as he laughs hysterically.</p><p class=""><em class="">“You’re not serious are you?”</em> He says mockingly.</p><p class="">I got ready as I prepared myself steadily as I planted my feet.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“You act like you’re so tough, but I don’t blame you. It’s not your fault, really!”</em>
</p><p class="">His face turns to anger as he laughs once more.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Please tell me you’re not serious! You’re starting to sound like one of those stupid shounen protagonists! You truly are just a kid then.”</em>
</p><p class="">We both circle each other as our pupils meet each other’s gazes. He quickly flings one of the drum cymbals as I quickly evade to the right. He charges towards me as I block with my only good arm and jump back. I fling a chair at him as he pushes it mid-air to the side as it makes a loud cracking sound. He leaped towards me once again as he went for a clean punch which I easily blocked. I got in for a leg kick but he counters swiftly and lands a clean punch in my gut.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Don’t. Ever. Talk about my family.”</em> He says angrily. <em class="">“You don’t know the pain that was caused during my childhood.”</em></p><p class="">I take a minute as I catch my breath, but he leaves no chance. He goes in again as I reach up with both arms as he punches my bandaged one furiously. I scream in pain as he continues.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Erito could’ve so easily stopped it. But no, all you guys want to do is only antagonize me. What about him?! Why is it always me?!”</em>
</p><p class="">He snaps once more as I feel a clean punch to my face and chest as he kicks me down, leaving me in a heap of chairs and music stands. I get up slowly to no avail, as the sole of his shoe presses against the side of my face.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Please. I basically know what you went through. Let us better understand each-.”</em>
</p><p class="">He howls as he bends down to me.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Understand me? Help me? By what, giving me a life lesson? Teaching me something I don’t know? Spewing more bullshit like Erito and my dad always do?”</em>
</p><p class="">I feel the strength of his sole press harder as I get pinned harder and harder against the wooden floor.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Such a shame. We could’ve gotten along so well. Unfortunately, you think you understand what I’ve been through. That could be farther from the truth.”</em>
</p><p class="">He meets my eyeline as he tilts his head.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“See you ‘round.”</em>
</p><p class="">He kicks me in the side once more as I hear a voice calling him, probably one of his friends. He scoffs as he spits on me as he leaves the room. I lay in a heap of sweat as blood trickles down my nose and mouth, along with my bandaged arm staining red. I try to move to no use, as my body is practically in a bag of shit.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Over here!”</em>
</p><p class="">I hear Kaori calling from the hallway as I hear footsteps stop, then run towards me. There are more now as I open my eyes to see Kaori, Watari, Tsubaki, Natsuki, Yuri and Monika kneeling over me.</p><p class=""><em class="">“God damn! What the fuck happened?”</em> Watari asked.</p><p class=""><em class="">“It was Sai. At the beginning, he tried to get my violin then I told him no. He started to get furious as he attempted to reach for it, when I stormed out of the room with Kousei helping me.”</em> Kaori said.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Where is he now?”</em> Tsubaki questioned.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Nurse’s room. Bloody nose, bruises as well.”</em> Kaori replied.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Fucking hell. GOD DAMN IT.”</em> Watari yells as he kicks one of the chairs over.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Did he do that too?”</em>
</p><p class="">He points to me.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Yeah, I guess he did.”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“And those bandages look pretty severe as well.”</em>
</p><p class="">I feel Natsuki’s tear droplets seeping through the pants of my right leg.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“OF COURSE THEY ARE, IDIOT. SAI STABBED PETER WITH GLASS SHARDS AND NOW HE GOES AND ATTACKS HIM AGAIN. WHY?! WHY IS HE LIKE THIS?!”</em>
</p><p class="">Natsuki clenched her fists as her face bubbled with anger. Her teeth gritted against each other as the transparent liquids fell from her eyes.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“AND OUR PATHETIC FUCKING SCHOOL WON’T DO ANYTHING!”</em>
</p><p class="">Everyone looked at her confusingly as Yuri comforted her. Monika ran to call for the nurse as Kaori questioned Natsuki.</p><p class="">“<em class="">What? What do you mean they won’t do anything? We have proof right here!”</em></p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Because of-”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Me.”</em>
</p><p class="">Erito stood in the doorway as he looked at me with tears in his eyes. He wanted to say something as he stopped and ran away down the hallway. Natsuki scoffed as she pulled out some pocket medical supplies.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Why do you have that with you…?”</em> Tsubaki asked Natsuki.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“It’s because of my d-”</em>
</p><p class="">She paused through her broken voice.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Because for times like these.”</em>
</p><p class="">Everyone nodded in agreement as she applied some quick first-aid. I gritted my teeth as I yelped in pain as Kaori started crying as well.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Thank you. For saving me and Kousei.”</em>
</p><p class="">I gave her a smile and a thumbs-up as everyone except Natsuki stood up.</p><p class=""><em class="">“We should give him some space.”</em> Watari said. Everyone agreed as they began to exit the room.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Hey, make sure you can still swing and pitch yeah?”</em> Tsubaki said as she grinned at me.</p><p class="">Everyone laughed as I spoke up.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Oh yeah. Even with one arm, I could totally strike you out. Remember last week Thursday?”</em>
</p><p class="">She made a pouting face as Watari laughed.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Oh yeah… like when he totally struck you out in 1 pit-”</em>
</p><p class="">Tsubaki elbowed him as he grabbed it in pain.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Like the goal you missed last Friday?”</em>
</p><p class="">Watari pouted as they both laughed and exited, with Kaori drying her tears and wishing me the best.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Don’t worry I can still sing.”</em>
</p><p class="">Kaori smiled softly.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Oh you better.”</em>
</p><p class="">She gave a smug grin as I felt a little bit of my soul shiver. I was surprised as Natsuki knew what to do and what to put on which part. It's like she's had experience tending wounds before.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Stop squirming, Peter!”</em> Natsuki said to me.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“How the hell can I do that when-”</em>
</p><p class="">I felt a sharp pain on my right side of my face as she put some anti-bacterial wipes on it.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“God damn, that stings!”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Of course it does, dummy. Whatever kills you makes you stronger.”</em>
</p><p class="">She laughed a bit but as her tears dripped onto the wood floor, she said through a broken voice once more.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“You know. You really are the biggest idiot I know. Why do you keep getting yourself into trouble?”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“I guess it’s not stupid then to fight and protect your friends.”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Well, I can’t have you be injured all the time!”</em>
</p><p class="">I laughed softly as I gave her a little nudge.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Well then it’s good that I have you with me, pampering me all the time.”</em>
</p><p class="">Natsuki's face reddened again as she held up her first as I pleaded and begged for mercy. Yuri looked and laughed softly.</p><p class=""><em class="">“That’s about all we can do, really. Until the nurse comes that is.”</em> Yuri said.</p><p class="">Monika came in shortly after with the nurse, as the nurse yelped and ran over to me.</p><p class="">“What the hell happened?!”</p><p class="">“Long story.” I said while smiling a bit.</p><p class="">I was helped up by my friends as Sayori rushed through and helped me as well.</p><p class="">“What hap-”</p><p class="">“We’ll tell you later.” Monika said.</p><p class="">I was carried into the nurse’s office as I lay in a cot with Kousei sitting on the one next to me.</p><p class=""><em class="">“First time?”</em> I asked him.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Unfortunately no. You don’t know how many times I’ve been hit by Tsubaki’s ball through the window.”</em>
</p><p class="">We both laughed at each other’s injuries as we talked more.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“So, uhh. What’re you going to do about Sai?”</em>
</p><p class="">I looked over to Kousei.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“I really don’t know. I’ll have to talk to Erito first.”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Erito? Why?”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Right. You weren’t there so I’ll just tell you now. Erito is Sai’s brother. Long story short, their family had a big fight, separating and dividing the family.”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Oh. That means-”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Yeah. The Principal can’t do anything, because of his history.”</em>
</p><p class="">Kousei looks up.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Then we’ll-”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Just have to take matters into our own hands.”</em>
</p><p class="">I see my friends stand through the doorway as they enter the nurse’s room. Ranging from Tomoya to Sayori, everyone stands with anger, except Erito, who’s nowhere to be seen.</p><p class=""><em class="">“That guy deserves to pay.”</em> Tomoya says.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Yeah. That was the person that caused me so much trouble in the soccer team. He's the reason for my quitting.”</em> Sunohara added on.</p><p class=""><em class="">“We strike him hard, fast and easy.”</em> Watari said.</p><p class="">Tsubaki nodded in return.</p><p class=""><em class="">“If I could, I would clobber him with a bat.”</em> Tsubaki said. <em class="">“Real mental brainworker.”</em></p><p class="">I looked up at all of them.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Guys, no. This isn’t the way. Look at the states of me and Kousei, he’s got a bloody nose and I can barely even function!”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Honestly, just shut up about all that!”</em>
</p><p class="">Everyone peers behind as Yuri realizes what she said and sinks down again.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“I-I’m sorry! I said too much!”</em>
</p><p class=""><em class="">“No, you didn’t Yuri.”</em> Natsuki said.</p><p class="">She walks over to me as she bangs her hand on the table next to me.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“LOOK, PETER. LOOK AT WHAT HE’S DONE TO YOU. TO YOUR FRIENDS. KOUSEI’S NOSE IS IN A HEAP OF BLOOD, HIS FACE IS BATTERED UP, ERITO IS PRACTICALLY BREAKING DOWN, YOU’RE BEATEN UP EVERYWHERE WITH YOUR LEFT ARM BEING IN RUINS, AND YOU STILL WANT TO GIVE HIM THIS SO CALLED “MERCY?!” EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT YOUR COGNITIVE PROCESS IS, SO I CAN SLAP IT OUT OF YOU!”</em>
</p><p class="">Everyone stares at Natsuki as she starts crying once more, with her entire being emanating anger.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Natsuki why are you doing this-”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“I’M DOING THIS SO MY FRIENDS WON'T GET HURT ANYMORE!”</em>
</p><p class="">Monika sighs as she comforts Natsuki, who’s crying on the floor.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“As much as I agree with you Peter, in this case, sparing him and giving him mercy will be wasted. He’ll just… defile it. Wreaking more havoc unto others.”</em>
</p><p class="">Everyone agrees in unison.</p><p class="">I clutch the top of my head as I sigh.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“... Alright. What do we do then?”</em>
</p><p class=""><em class="">“We can’t report it to the police. We know of everything that happened prior.”</em> Sayori said.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Yeah, Erito told us when we confronted him. But, now’s not the time to ask him anything further.”</em> Tomoya responded.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Fine. We’ll confront him straight on. And if he resits, we persist.”</em> Sunohara says.</p><p class="">I breathed out a heavy exhalation of air as I spoke.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Fine. When?”</em>
</p><p class="">Natsuki stands up with Monika.</p><p class=""><em class="">“After school week after next week. We have a school holiday to commemorate the founder of this school so you can rest up. You’re our best bet in teaching some sense to him.”</em> Monika says.</p><p class="">Everyone nods and leaves as Natsuki stands alone in the room.</p><p class="">“I guess I have to thank you again, huh? Wonder how many of those I have left.” I said to her.</p><p class="">She smiles softly as her face reddens a bit.</p><p class="">“I guess I have you to thank as well, saving me and my other friends.”</p><p class="">We both exchange a smile and each other as we both stare at each other. Her face quickly reddens and so does mine as we both avoid our gazes not long after. Natsuki opens the door and leaves when she turns back and speaks.</p><p class="">“Give him hell.”</p><p class=""> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Chapter 8: Calm Before The Storm</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="">
  <em>
    <strong class="">Feature: Italics Mean Speaking In Japanese</strong>
  </em>
</p><p class=""> </p><p class="">
  <strong class="">Chapter 8: Calm Before The Storm</strong>
</p><p class="">The sun shone through the glass windows as the air-conditioner breezed throughout the lovely home. The sounds of baking-ovens ticking echoed throughout the open room as I opened the stove top and finished coating the delicate salmon.</p><p class="">It’s the week off commemorating our school’s founder so the Furukawa’s had me over along with Natsuki. Well, more like Natsuki wanted me over. She insisted that with the help of her and Mrs. Sanae, that they could easily help heal my wounds in a nick of time, so I graciously accepted. Tomoya also dropped by to help with the store’s baking needs, with of course, Natsuki and Nagisa hilariously berating him on the art of baking.</p><p class="">“And… done!” Natsuki shouts as she pulls out a tray of freshly-baked cupcakes. Tomoya and Nagisa pull out another tray of freshly-baked pastries as they all whiffed the fruits of their hard-work. I was cooking alone as Mrs. Sanae wanted to see what I could come up with alone and to serve it, like a restaurant style. I mildly objected at first but of course, she was nice enough to buy me all the ingredients so I obliged to their request.</p><p class="">“What-cha doing there?” Natsuki asked as she came up to me. She observed my cooking techniques with awe as her eyes glanced at my work.</p><p class="">“Oh, just a simple chili, honey, rhubarb, glazed salmon with a side of spinach and mushroom salad.” I responded back while flipping the contents of my pan.</p><p class="">She continued to stare at my workings as I carefully plated my finished dish. I offer her my stationery tools as I finish topping my first entree.</p><p class="">“You wanna try?” I ask Natsuki. It’s not that hard.” She holds my tools with uncertainty as she looks at me.</p><p class="">“Oh, no thanks. I don’t even know the first thing about cooking.” She stammers. “I’ll probably just get in your way.”</p><p class="">“Ahh, nonsense. Here, let me show you.” I responded back.</p><p class="">I guided her to use her fingers as she carefully placed the salmon in the pan. She yelped back in shock and slight pain as the oil flickered from the pan and onto her hands and arms.</p><p class="">“Damn, that hurts! How do you deal with that constantly?”</p><p class="">“Well, once you get beaten up enough, oil splash back won’t be much of a concern.” I say jokingly.</p><p class="">Natsuki looks at me with an annoyed face as I reach for the counter and hand her a damp cloth. She thanks me and cleans her arms and hands as she resumes back to her cooking trial.</p><p class="">“Alright, now all you need to do is just flip it.” I say.</p><p class="">“How… would I do that?”</p><p class="">“Oh, just use the spatula, not that hard.”</p><p class="">I watch as Natsuki struggles to not break the salmon. I step behind her as I guide her hands to flip the salmon carefully with softness and precision.</p><p class="">“Hey! I don’t need your help, I can do this myself you know.”</p><p class="">I watch with my arms crossed as she struggles mightily, with sweat starting to trickle down her forehead and onto her white and pink casual dress.</p><p class="">“Quick, you’re gonna burn the salmon.” I say while laughing.</p><p class="">I stand behind and guide her, as I softly take her hands and help her flip the salmon filet gently on it’s other sides. Her face reddens as I help her add the other ingredients to the dish. My face reddened a bit as well as I taught her on the other essentials to the dish such as the spinach and the glazing.</p><p class="">“There you go, just like that. Nice and easy.”</p><p class="">I watched from behind as Natsuki finished cooking the pink fish and not long after, plated her semi-burnt salmon onto a plate and finished with the toppings.</p><p class="">“What do I do now?” Natsuki asks as she wipes her forehead with a cloth.</p><p class="">“Now, just step back and admire your work.” I say confidently.</p><p class="">We both look at the dish and observe it as Natsuki draws her face closer to the fish, comparing it with mine.</p><p class="">“How’d you think I do?” She asks me while poking at her fish then mine with a knife.</p><p class="">“For a total beginner? Ehh… solid 8.5/10.”</p><p class="">She glances at me as she grins.</p><p class="">“Well then. After lunch, you are so gonna try out baking.”</p><p class="">I look with uncertainty.</p><p class="">“I think I’ll just stick with cooking. You guys do have pastries to sell and I don’t know much abou-”</p><p class="">She shushes me quickly.</p><p class="">“Ahh, nonsense. She says with a smug look on her face. “Let me teach you after we eat.” She walks back to her baking station laughing as I shake my head and chuckle while preparing the other dishes for my patrons.</p><p class="">I finish preparing the other dishes as well, with the whole main course consisting of a nice shepherd’s pie, rice and miso soup for everyone along with the special salmon dish, along with a nice dessert of some fresh baked pastries, courtesy of Natsuki.</p><p class="">Everyone eagerly sits down at the table as they all admire my food.</p><p class=""><em class="">“So… this is a masterchef’s palette then?”</em> Sanae asks.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Well, it’s not much but I hope it satisfies your tastes.”</em> I say back laughingly.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Woah! That looks so good!”</em> Nagisa exclaims. She takes a whiff as she inspects my food closely.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Hmph. You truly do know how to cook. Not as good as my wife though.”</em> Akio says.</p><p class="">Everyone laughs as we all shout <em class="">“itadakimasu”</em> and begin digging in.</p><p class="">The atmosphere is lively as we all eat the food I prepared. Honestly, it’s nice watching people enjoy the things that you make. It’s like a wholesome feeling seeing people compliment how your food tastes and how well it’s prepared.</p><p class=""><em class="">“So… From what I heard. You plan to confront Sai Kanto?”</em> Akio asks.</p><p class="">Natsuki nods.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Yeah, we’re going to finally teach him a lesson.”</em> Natsuki says back.</p><p class=""><em class="">“That… bastard. What he did to Sunohara, Natsuki, Kousei, and you? At this point we have to confront him, or else he’s going to start hurting others.”</em> Tomoya says angrily.</p><p class=""><em class="">“By confront, do you mean you’re going to jump him? Like he did to you?”</em> Nagisa asks.</p><p class=""><em class="">“No. We just plan to go straight-up and tell him to cut it out.”</em> I responded back.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Are you sure you want to do this?”</em> Asks Mrs. Sanae. <em class="">“It sounds quite dangerous.”</em></p><p class="">I nod as I stick to my decision.</p><p class=""><em class="">“It’s good that you’re doing this, teaching those youngsters a lesson. But please try to avoid violence by any means necessary.”</em> Mrs. Sanae asks.</p><p class=""><em class="">“I’m not sure I can. I will try, but if he attacks first, then I don’t think there’s any other way than to fight.”</em> I respond back with.</p><p class=""><em class="">“I would help you guys, but considering my age and reputation, I’d rather not.”</em> Akio says.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Well, it wouldn’t really be a fair fight then now wouldn’t it? A 30 something year old man beats up an infant.”</em> Natsuki shoots back with.</p><p class="">The room erupts with giggles as Akio gets up and demonstrates his fighting skills, punching the air with huffs as Natsuki, his wife and his daughter laugh, with me and Tomoya just staring at each other, holding back from spitting our food out.</p><p class="">Lunch rolls past fluently as I help Mrs. Sanae clean the dishes in the sink. I notice Natsuki waiting idly by for me.</p><p class="">“Come on! You’re slower than a tortoise when it comes to cleaning dishes.” Natsuki shoots at me. I wash faster as I can feel her inner stare penetrate into my soul. I finish and dry my hands off as Natsuki motions for me to follow her.</p><p class="">“Alright. This is a baking station. You’ve got your bowl, eggs, flour, sugar, butter, vanilla extract, and your buttercream dressing I already made.”</p><p class="">I nod intently as she questions me.</p><p class="">“I thought you already did some baking at the masterchef competition?”</p><p class="">“I did, but I was always subpar. Plus, that was like 2 years ago and I’ve focused more on cooking, rather than baking, so I forgot mostly everything.” I say back.</p><p class="">She nods as she guides me around the counter.</p><p class="">“Alright, first off, mix the butter and the sugar together, then the 2 eggs, one each at a time.”</p><p class="">I get to work quickly as I finish mixing the combination of ingredients. I filled the cupcake cases carefully as I placed them into the oven and set the heat on. Natsuki was watching my whole process the whole time. It's like when chef Gordon and the others used to watch from the front of the stage, except chef Gordon was kind and encouraging, Natsuki however was...</p><p class="">“You call that a cupcake?” She asked while laughing through her mouth. I pulled out the cupcakes as they were pitch black, with the distinct smell of a smokey failure roaming throughout the house. I saw the Furukawa’s walk over to me as they all started giggling, with Tomoya looking at me without trying to break out a laugh.</p><p class="">“Very funny guys. How was I supposed to know that the oven was in celsius and not fahrenheit?” I asked annoyingly.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Man, I guess they never taught you about units in a masterchef class then huh?”</em> Tomoya said from the back.</p><p class="">Everyone in the room howled with joy as I couldn’t help but laugh as well, as the sounds of guffaw echoed throughout the whole room. The energy lifted up everyone’s spirits as we all were just laughing our asses off at my expense, not that I minded though.</p><p class="">After what seemed like an eternity for me, I cleaned up the station as I tiredly presented my hard work of my third, now successful batch of cupcakes. Natsuki eyed them closely as the picked one up and bit into it.</p><p class="">“How’d I do?” I asked through panting breaths.</p><p class="">She looked at me as she gave a smug look.</p><p class="">“For an absolute beginner? Ehh… solid 7.” She remarked back.</p><p class="">“Not even an 8.5?” I asked laughingly.</p><p class="">“8.5 for effort, 5.5 for taste and texture. Evens out to a solid 7.” She shot back with.</p><p class="">We both laughed as I took one out of the tray and extended a cupcake to her.</p><p class="">“To solid 8.5’s?” I ask her.</p><p class="">She looks at me as we both cheers our cupcakes together.</p><p class="">“To solid 8.5’s, AND 7’s.” She remarked back.</p><p class="">We both laughed again as we chomped down on our delicious pastries. We talked more about the art of baking when both of our phones rang at the exact same time. We looked at each other confusingly as we took our devices out to see a text message.</p><p class="">“Did you get the same message?” I ask Natsuki.</p><p class="">She looks at her phone intently, reading over the screen as she nods.</p><p class="">“Yeah. Looks like a group chat. It has everyone in it. Looks like they want to meet up and discuss the plan as well.”</p><p class="">“Just bring them here, we can invite them in.” Nagisa says as she peers through the room.</p><p class="">I text the chat directions to the Furukawa bakery as I set my phone on the counter and wait.</p><p class="">“You know.” I say as I look at Natsuki. “I honestly just forgot about the whole thing. Having so much fun with you and the others, really took away the worries of my life.”</p><p class="">Natsuki looked at me as well.</p><p class="">“Yeah, it’s the same for me. Baking is like an escape for me, you know. I’ve had so much turmoil in my life, that I just tend to retreat into the things I love you know, baking, manga, anime, all that. Like another world I could venture into to forget about the real world.”</p><p class="">Natsuki stopped as she looked down.</p><p class="">“Like Sai, you know?”</p><p class="">I nodded back at her as we both took the remaining pastries from the counter. Natsuki held one to me as she proposed a toast.</p><p class="">“To beating up Sai Kanto?” She asked.</p><p class="">We both laughed as I exchanged the formality.</p><p class="">“To beating up Sai Kanto.” I said amusingly.</p><p class="">We both bumped cupcakes again as we ate and waited patiently for our friends to arrive. Shortly after, I saw everyone else pile in as they were greeted warmly by Mrs. Sanae. To my surprise, I saw Kyou and the dark-grey haired girl I talked to a while back.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Kyou? What’re you doing here?”</em> I asked.</p><p class="">She smiled back at me as she gave me a thumbs-up.</p><p class=""><em class="">“There is no way I’m going to miss putting that fuckface back in his place.”</em> She said confidently. I smiled as I turned to the grey-haired girl.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Tomoyo. Tomoyo Sakagami.”</em> She said as she smiled. She stuck out a hand as I shook it.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Why’re you here as well?”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Oh, same reason as Kyou. Pretty sure the whole school knows that I hate delinquents.”</em>
</p><p class=""><em class="">“Yeah, when you beat those 3 guys up at the school yard a while back.”</em> Tsubaki said laughingly.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Where’s Kousei?”</em> I asked Kaori.</p><p class=""><em class="">“He’s still getting his nose fixed up.”</em> Kaori responded back. <em class="">“Don’t worry, I’ll relay anything back to him.”</em></p><p class="">I nodded back as we all headed to the dining table. Mrs. Sanae kindly prepared drinks and snacks for everyone as we all returned her humble gesture. Monika cleared her throat as she began.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Alright, so here’s the deal.”</em> Monika said. <em class="">“Sai finishes his soccer practice at around 5pm. He usually walks home alone down this bridge over a river, so we can confront him there.”</em></p><p class=""><em class="">“Where… did you get all this info?”</em> Natsuki piped up and asked.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Erito. He’s in this as well. He told us everything we needed to know, but it’s really the best not to bother him anymore right now.”</em> Monika responded.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Alright, so Peter will confront him with us staying at the back. You’ll talk to him head-on and just tell him to cut the shit.”</em> Kaori said.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Wait what, why me?”</em>
</p><p class=""><em class="">“Because.”</em> Watari spoke. <em class="">“You’re the one who can actually manage to defend yourself in case he lashes out again and sparks another fight. The plan is that we’ll stay in the back for intimidation and to make sure that everything runs smoothly.”</em></p><p class="">I nod as I take another drink of the nice hot-green tea prepared for all of us.</p><p class=""><em class="">“You guys ever consider the possibility that he’ll just ignore us, just say that he won’t bully anyone anymore and just continue the next day?”</em> I ask tensely. <em class="">“Not saying that your plan isn’t going to work.’</em></p><p class=""><em class="">“Nah. He cares about his pride too much. Imagine if you’re a senior at your school, get challenged by a lowerclassmen to quit your wrongdoings, and deny it because you’re too scared. Your reputation and morale will be utterly tarnished, especially someone that’s of Sai’s nature and caliber. Also, we’ll record the whole thing just in case.”</em> Sunohara answered.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Plus, you got a whole lot more than just us rooting for the success of this. There’s a lot of people that he’s tortured throughout his stay here.”</em> Yuri said.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Like Erito.”</em> I said angrily. My teeth grit against one another as my fist gets turned into a ball. Just the mere thought of seeing one of my close friends injured makes me furious.</p><p class=""><em class="">“So it’s settled then. We’ll all meet after clubs on Monday at around 4:30pm, wait for him at the bridge and finally settle this?”</em> Natsuki asks.</p><p class="">Everyone nods their heads.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Great!”</em> Natsuki said happily as she got up. <em class="">“Who wants cupcakes?”</em></p><p class="">Everyone looked at each other as they all started to smile.</p><p class=""><em class="">“I’ll take that as a yes then!”</em> Natsuki said cheerfully.</p><p class="">She then pointed to me.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“You. I need you to help me when I’m baking.”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Oh, no thanks, I’m burnt.”</em>
</p><p class="">Natsuki smiled smugly as she picked me up by the collar.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“And you’ll be my trustful assistant. Of course, you can learn from the master of baking right here.”</em>
</p><p class="">Everyone laughed as I was mercilessly dragged out by Natsuki with the help of everyone there restraining me and carrying me out of the room.</p><p class="">I sat in the kitchen as Natsuki started to whisk the multiple ingredients into a bowl and pour the mixture into some cupcake holders. I watched her work her magic as it seemed like everything she did flowed harmoniously, like a well-oiled machine. She finished as she turned on the heat in the oven and sat next to me.</p><p class="">“Something up? You’re suddenly awfully quiet.” I asked her.</p><p class="">Natsuki looked back at me.</p><p class="">“I just. Wanted to say thank you. For doing this. I know it’s only your second or whatever week here, but you’re already helping out others, way more compared to other people.”</p><p class="">I smiled back at her as our eyes met.</p><p class="">“Well, I guess it’s just something I like to do. Helping others so that they won’t feel any sort of pain, trying my best to help those to avoid what had happened to me before.”</p><p class="">“Like what?” Natsuki asked.</p><p class="">I smirked as I placed a hand on her shoulder, hearing the ring of the oven.</p><p class="">“A story for another time.”</p><p class="">Natsuki grumbled as she gave me a little elbow to my gut. I wheezed as she strutted to the baking oven and pulled out her cupcakes.</p><p class="">“How are you going to have me die of curiosity like that?” Natsuki said angrily.</p><p class="">I laughed as I turned to make my way back, when she suddenly grabbed my wrist.</p><p class="">“Seriously though. Thank you. I really mean it.” Natsuki said while looking up at me.</p><p class="">I smiled wholeheartedly as both of our faces blushed like a tomato. I put my hand on her head as she welcomed the soft head pat.</p><p class="">“You know, guys in anime always do that.” She said.</p><p class="">“I mean, you did show me anime, so I got something in store for you, don’t worry.” I answered back.</p><p class="">“Like what?”</p><p class="">“The best paper company in the whole of Scranton.”</p><p class="">Natsuki smiled as she carefully topped off her cupcakes and put them on a plate.</p><p class="">“It’d better be good.”</p><p class="">“Oh, trust me. It is.”</p><p class="">We both looked at each other as Natsuki looked at confusingly.</p><p class="">“What’s so funny?”</p><p class="">I quickly snatched the cupcakes from her as she stood in shock.</p><p class="">“Guess they’ll think I made these then.” I said smugly.</p><p class="">I ran from Natsuki and she started chasing me into the dining room. Everyone looked at me run in as I accidentally slipped on the wooden floor, almost dropping the pastries as Natsuki used my back as a lift-off platform and caught the cupcakes mid-air. Everyone applauded her as she purposefully stepped on me like a welcome mat and looked smugly down at me. I got up slowly as the whole room was filled with laughter and joy. The ambience was further enhanced as the crisp smell of freshly-baked cupcakes filled the air, with everyone yelling their traditional “itadakimasu” and digging in.</p><p class="">Stories of jubilation and embarrassment were exchanged as tears of joy were wept and the howling caused by the sheepish tales emanated throughout the room. Even Akio and Mrs. Sanae were getting into it, as they both exchanged great recitals about stories of Nagisa, with their daughter being more and more embarrassed by the second.</p><p class="">I wasn’t focused on the past, nor did I want to. Such an environment and place like now was all so welcoming and fit me so well. I’m focused on today and the events ahead that I might encounter. Then again, only time will tell. But for now… I’m enjoying life as it is.</p><p class="">Which is what I hope to give to Sai in the coming days.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Chapter 9: The Reunification Reappraisal</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class=""><em class=""><strong class="">Feature: Italics</strong></em> <strong class="">mean speaking in Japanese.</strong></p><p class=""> </p><p class="">
  <strong class="">Chapter 9: The Reunification Reappraisal</strong>
</p><p class="">I sit alone at a bench in a secluded part of school. The atmosphere is quiet as the orange sun illuminates the empty hallways. I felt like my chest and stomach was going to burst out of my body. I didn’t know if I could even do it. What would happen if this all fails? I bury my face into my hands as I breathe slowly.</p><p class="">All the immense amount of pressure put onto me, and so suddenly. But I wasn’t bred to fail. My whole life, everything forced upon me was all logic, perfect grades, athletic, tall, but yet, it’s like a core part of me was missing, like an empty husk that needed to be filled. I rarely felt positive emotions, but when encountering Sai, it’s like I saw a reflection of myself. Like I truly connected with him. I’ve felt his pain, his torment, his anger. I was exactly like him. What if I turned out that way? Hurting others, bringing forth my rage due to my irreparable past?</p><p class="">Was Sai really the villain here? Obviously, he has caused so much pain upon others, but I can’t help but think if it’s really his fault. I know you’re in charge of yourself, but knowing me compared to him, I probably would’ve ended up the same way.</p><p class="">Sure I know. It’s naive. Really naive actually. But it’s like my mind is split. It’s like I have to choose a side. Punish him as my friends say, the only ones I’ll probably ever make, or show him mercy so to say, empathize with him and try to explain my logic to my friends, but risk so much in the process.</p><p class="">It’s worth a shot after all. If he comes swinging first, then I’ll have the right to defend myself. But it’s like I don’t even want to fight him. That’s probably why I’ve always lost to him, with my mind being elsewhere other than the battles we had.</p><p class="">But Sai has to be stopped. His terror that he’s wrought has to come to an end.</p><p class="">Erito was strangely distant today as well. Like he was purposefully avoiding me and the others. I don’t really blame him. He’s gone through so much in the past and now more recently, that I can understand why he’s like that right now.</p><p class="">I know I can’t dwell on the past. I must move forward with my life, hurdling over the obstacles that stand in my way. And I guess the first one here is my best friend’s brother, and the principal’s damn son.</p><p class="">What’s helped, however, is that things have changed for me. I met new friends, teachers, colleagues, peers. I opened up a bit more, tried new things, hell, even joined a god-damn literature club. Probably the best-worst decision of my life. I saw new places, tried out new foods, moved into my own temporary house, and embarked on a new school journey.</p><p class="">That’s what Sai needs I think. A fresh start.</p><p class="">I sigh as I whip out my phone to check the time. It’s around 4:42 as I swing my heavy backpack over both of my shoulders and make my way throughout the school halls. The sounds of whistles blowing, balls being kicked and the wind blowing throughout the distance fill the atmosphere. I take a final inventory and check of my belongings as I exit the school’s door, and make my way to the front gate.</p><p class="">I notice all of my friends gathered together outside the school gate, as they seem to be conversing amongst themselves like they’re discussing something. I make my way to them as all their heads perk up and the gazes meet mine.</p><p class=""><em class="">“There he is.”</em> Watari said.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Something up?”</em> I ask.</p><p class="">They all look at each other.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Well… you see. We’ve been talking about numerous things before you got here.”</em> Kaori said.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Yeah. We realize that it’s a lot of pressure being put on you. Whether with him being just the person he is, or you, having to carry all of our burdens.”</em> Monika added.</p><p class=""><em class="">“It’s true. You’ve only arrived for about 3 weeks now, and here we are, putting so much onto you, in such a short time.”</em> Yuri said.</p><p class=""><em class="">“To be fair, he is the only one that actually tried.”</em> Sunohara said.</p><p class="">Everyone looked at him.</p><p class=""><em class="">“What? It’s true after all.”</em> Sunohara responded.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Fair point.”</em> Nagisa said. <em class="">“Still that doesn’t excuse the fact that we’re being extremely selfish.”</em></p><p class="">Everyone nodded as Sunohara pouted.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Guys I mean, it’s not that bad.”</em> I said back.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Peter. We just saw you sulk on a bench by yourself. You look like you were going to have a heart attack, or like you just failed something really badly.”</em> Tsubaki noted.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Yeah, you didn’t look too good.”</em> Tomoya said.</p><p class="">I let out a big exhale.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Well, what’s the deal now then?”</em> I ask.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“You don’t have to go through with this. We know it’s a lo-”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Shut up, Sayori!”</em>
</p><p class="">We all startle back as we all stare at Natsuki.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“He has to do it. I can’t live with that… that monster anymore!”</em>
</p><p class="">Monika sighed.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Natsuki, please be considerate for once. We’re putting a lot onto him!”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“So? If we don’t stop him, how can we ever live in peace? Peter has to do it!”</em>
</p><p class=""><em class="">“Natsuki, what’s the hell’s up with you? Why are you being so selfish all of a sudden?!”</em> Yuri asked angrily.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“What’s up with me?! What’s up with all of you?! Do you know, how much torture I go through on a daily basis?! How many people have hurt me, during my entire life?!”</em>
</p><p class=""><em class="">“We get that to a certain extent, but you’re really immature and childish right now, Natsuki.”</em> Sunohara said.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Shut it, Blondie. I just.”</em>
</p><p class="">She stops.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“I just want him gone.”</em>
</p><p class="">My heart aches as I see Natsuki start to quiver and cry. Nagisa holds her softly as she tries to calm her down. Everyone looks at me as I look down at Natsuki. It’s like she’s a small child, an ignorant brat, a selfish baby. I hate to admit it, but it’s like she needed this pain and more to happen to her. Like a lesson that needed to be taught. I guess I shouldn’t go through with this then.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“I’ll.”</em>
</p><p class="">I stop and pause as I stare to the ground.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“I’ll do it.”</em>
</p><p class="">What? I pause for a moment as I regain my thoughts. It’s like this feeling of something bubbling inside of me, like butterflies in my stomach. The same feeling about when you’re going to go up to bat, in front of a whole crowd. The same feeling when a spark of emotion hits you like a bullet train.</p><p class="">What was… this? What was I experiencing?</p><p class="">My train of thought stops as I feel a smack on my back, as Watari smiles at me. The whole group beams with joy as I turn my attention to Natsuki. She seems to be calmer now, she’s like a lion so to speak. A really tiny angry lion. We look at each other as she quickly avoids my gaze. Her face reddens as I turn my attention to the group.</p><p class=""><em class="">“You ok?”</em> Kousei asked.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Yeah, why? Much better than your nose that’s for sure.”</em>
</p><p class="">The whole group laughs as Kousei points to me.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Your face is red. It’s like a plum.”</em> Kousei adds.</p><p class="">I pause for a bit as I laugh as well. I’m feeling so many conflicting emotions right now, like something I’m not used to, whether giving or taking away. The whole group moves as I make my way to Natsuki.</p><p class="">“You ok?”</p><p class="">She quickly wipes her tears away.</p><p class="">“Yeah, of course I am, why wouldn’t I be?” She quickly shoots back.</p><p class="">She sits down on the hard pavement as I kneel down.</p><p class="">“Come on. What’s up today? Not to state the obvious but you had quite the outburst just now.”</p><p class="">She looks down at the sidewalk.</p><p class="">“I know, it’s just. It’s just Sai you know. I’m sorry for being so selfish, but it has to be done, you know? When you could just seize this moment, and not to let it slip out once again, or in fact, anymore in that case.”</p><p class="">I look directly at her.</p><p class="">“I’ll do it for you then.”</p><p class="">She looks up at me.</p><p class="">“Wha-What?”</p><p class="">Her face starts to redden like a tomato again.</p><p class="">“I’ll do it for you.”</p><p class="">I stand up and give an exaggerated sigh.</p><p class="">“Of course, for everyone else’s sake as well, but it’s like you want this the most. And just like a chef, I’ll provide for your specific needs.”</p><p class="">I stick out my hand.</p><p class="">“C’mon. They’ve probably waited ages for us by now.”</p><p class="">She looks away to the side, avoiding my hand.</p><p class="">“I don’t need your help, you know.” She grumbles.</p><p class="">I motion for my hand once again. She pouts as she takes my hand slowly and lifts herself up.</p><p class="">“Not going to lie, you look kinda cute when you get embarrassed like-”</p><p class="">I feel a clean, straight elbow to the gut with the combo of an uwabaki slippers heel. I wheeze out in pain as for some reason, the attacks seemed much harder than ever before. Natsuki stares down at me devilishly as I grab the areas of my injuries while arching over.</p><p class="">“Gah! What was that for?! You know I could use every single part of my body pretty soon, right?” I say as I look up at her.</p><p class="">“Don’t. Ever. Call me cute.” She says angrily.</p><p class="">She suddenly sticks out her hand, offering it to me and motioning it.</p><p class="">“C’mon. They’ve probably waited ages for us by now.”</p><p class="">I look up at her with an annoyed face.</p><p class="">“Very funny.”</p><p class="">I take her soft hand as I pick myself up from the terror I had just received. We make our way down the sidewalk as we catch up to the group, but I can’t help but notice all of them staring at me again.</p><p class=""><em class="">“What’s wrong?”</em> I ask confusingly. <em class="">“Is there more that came up?”</em></p><p class=""><em class="">“Yeah, there was something more.”</em> Sayori says concerningly.</p><p class=""><em class="">“We saw that beating you just took. Quite the killer.”</em> Tomoya said.</p><p class=""><em class="">“And quite embarrassing.”</em> Sunohara added.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Maybe we should just call Sai to surrender.”</em> Kousei says.</p><p class="">The whole group laughs except for me as I just stare sheepishly at them, all howling their asses off. But it all feels good, like something wholesome. But I can’t pinpoint or identify it for some reason. Regardless, I knew something more important than my own mental turmoil was coming up.</p><p class="">Things were going to change. They had to.</p><p class="">We all make our way to the bridge as the fierce stream of water sounds from beneath us. The sun beats upon us as we speak.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Alright. What’s the plan?”</em> I ask.</p><p class="">Monika points to a few specific designations around the area of the bridge.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Basically, we are going to hide, to the point where he can’t see us. You’ll then be positioned on where he can only see you once he reaches the top of the bridge, therefore giving you an element of surprise so to speak. Then, you’ll talk to him, have a dialogue. We cannot afford to engage first, or else our self-defense claim goes through the window. We’ll be recording the whole thing to make sure we get his testimony, and that he was essentially stood up to correct his ways by an under-classman, something you don’t really want to happen, especially if you’re someone of his caliber. If he starts swinging first, you’ll have the best bet, as you’ll have us to back you up, but that’s something we would of course like to avoid.”</em>
</p><p class=""><em class="">“Alright, sounds good.”</em> I responded back. I look around after noticing something missing.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Where’s Kyou and Tomoy-”</em>
</p><p class="">“BAH!”</p><p class="">Kyou screams out of her hiding spot as I yelp back in surprise. Tomoyo comes out as well as the whole group starts laughing once again.</p><p class=""><em class="">“And that’s why I chose those spots. Told you it’ll work.”</em> Kyou said.</p><p class="">Monika nods as I start to catch my breath.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Jesus, is today just me being a punching bag?”</em>
</p><p class="">Everyone laughed once more as the atmosphere slowly got quieter. Sayori slid her phone out of her pocket as she checked the hour and minute.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Looks like it’s time. You got this right?”</em> Sayori said.</p><p class="">I nodded.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Yeah. I got this.”</em> I say back confidently.</p><p class="">Everyone’s expression gets serious as they all nod. Monika motions for everyone to get into their positions as I ready myself. I breathe in and out slowly to calm my emotions down, as the adrenaline starts to seep in. Natsuki nears to her position as she looks back at me with concern.</p><p class="">There's a short pause as I nod to her. She nods back and quickly turns and enters her designated spot. I face the entrance of the bridge as I get myself ready, and sure enough, now was the right time.</p><p class="">That same, tall figure stands on top of the bridge. The sun shines behind him as his shadowy figure contrasts the illumination that stands behind him. We both look at each other, our gazes meeting each other directly. It felt like a spear as his pupils matched the sight of mine. There’s silence between us, with no word being spoken yet. I felt my whole body tense and quease at the intimidating sight of him. He sported a menacing look with his wet hair glistening by the ember star. The pungent aroma of a reeking deodorant filled the air as the atmosphere tightened around us. I felt like the whole world was crushing within itself for each second I took staring at him.</p><p class=""><em class="">“You again?”</em> He began. <em class="">“What more do you want, you clown?”</em></p><p class="">
  <em class="">“I came here to talk, that’s all.”</em>
</p><p class="">He stayed silent as she continued to gaze at me. I took in a deep breath as I continued.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Look. I know I’ve said this a million times, but I can feel what you’ve been through. The pain, the torment, the anger, all of that. I get that, trust me, I do. I know you’ve read my file given to the school courtesy of my old one. You know what I’ve been through as well.”</em>
</p><p class="">Sai still didn’t say a word, instead choosing to actually listen for once.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Honestly. You and me, we’re quite alike. We both get the same high grades, good sports abilities, nice frame and figure, all of that. But it’s like we’re lacking a core part of ourselves, like a missing piece of the puzzle. I see a lot of myself in you, and I know you think the same as well when you see me. You only hurt people because of your past, and please, don’t let that eat you up. I don’t condone the things you have done to my friends and others, but I can see the motive and the reason behind them. Context is so important and I know you understand that ‘cause you’re smart. I can see the context behind your actions.”</em>
</p><p class="">I get a bit closer to him.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“So please. Stop your hurting of others. You can say anything about me and that’ll be ok. About how I’m a failure, about how I ran away from my problems, I get that, I’ve heard it all. But what you could use is a fresh start. Look at me for example, I felt like a miserable piece of shit for my whole entire life. I woke up every morning to having to fear for my own damn life. But a fresh start changed all of that. I appreciate the things I’ve been given, I’ve tried new foods, tested out new things, met a wonderful school, gotten to know so many genuine teachers and peers. But most importantly, became friends with the most amazing people I’ve ever met. I know I don’t truly belong here. I’m a foreigner. I’m not native here, but I’ve done so much to accommodate and assimilate myself, because I want to strive for a better life, and I know you do too! So please, I implore you, I ask of you, hell, even I beg of you. To please, stop bringing forth your anger and rage upon others, whom you know have no control or retaliation capable of countering your moves.”</em>
</p><p class="">I take a deep breath in.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“We all can change. A very simple, very naive way of thinking. A very cliche saying and a very overused trope in life. But sometimes, that’s what we need. Something dumb and stupid, to give forth something intelligent and worthwhile.”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“So come on, stop your hurtful actions, and enjoy life as it is. Create the life that you want. You’re responsible for you, no one else is. We all can change together.”</em>
</p><p class="">Sai looks at me as he smiles. But this smile isn’t one of happiness. It’s not one of joy or jubilation. Not one of embracing his hurtful ways and changing, no. He’s grinning menacingly as he starts to slow-clap his hands.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Bravo, Peter, bravo. No wonder you’re in the literature club. Damn! That speech was probably one of the most well formatted pieces of shits I’ve ever listened to. You really are a gifted person, like me, in which you are correct. But you are wrong on so many things.”</em>
</p><p class="">He starts to walk slowly towards me.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“You don’t know who I am. You just come in here, transfer from a whole different country, think that you’re the shit and go demand change? You act like you run this whole fucking operation, like you just suddenly know everything. Guess what, kid? That’s not how it works here. And we’re not alike. My pain was far greater than yours.”</em>
</p><p class="">His face gets angrier and more devilish by the second. He sticks a finger close to me.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“You. Ran. Away. You ditched your old place to come and live a new life here, while neglecting your whole premise. It’s like you’ve become the very thing you’ve preached against. We’re also not alike in character at all. Your small, underdeveloped, naive brain sickens me, so don’t even begin to compare the both of us. You think, I don’t know the pain that I cause, you think, that I don’t see the damage around me. Funny. So clear yet so blind.”</em>
</p><p class="">He gets ever so closer to me.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“You want a lesson about friendship, anyone can change, and all that bullshit? Well then, I’ll give you a real fucking good one.”</em>
</p><p class="">He backs off as he snaps his fingers. I feel multiple lingering presences around me as the rustling of bushes echo throughout my surroundings. I suddenly hear screams of help and terror.</p><p class="">“LET ME GO!”</p><p class="">I look back in shock to see every single one of my friends put in a hold. Natsuki, Sayori, Kousei, Kaori, Monika, Yuri, every single one of them.</p><p class="">“LET GO YOU BASTARD!” Natsuki screams.</p><p class="">I see Watari struggling as Tsubaki attempts to push to no avail. Sayori squirms to attempt to get out, as I see the holds get tighter.</p><p class="">What was going on? I thought this plan was bound to work! We planned this all out for so long, what the fuck happened?!</p><p class="">I attempted to run to free my friends as I was knocked back by a couple of Sai’s senior colleagues. I looked in horror as I saw all of my friends trapped. They were only a few feet away, yet it felt like a whole mile.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“You see. This is what I meant by the lesson. Not only that your friends are the most moronic idiots I have seen, but that-”</em>
</p><p class="">He motions for someone to appear. A shorter figure stands next to him.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“N-No fucking way.”</em>
</p><p class="">It’s Erito. My best friend.</p><p class="">I see him stand next to his brother. The pair looked both straight and down at me, with Erito’s expression being turned into worry and grimness. Sai put his arm around his brother as he pointed at me and spoke.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Friends come and go, but family is always first.”</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Chapter 10: Epiphany of Destruction</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class=""><em class=""><strong class="">Feature: Italics</strong></em> <strong class="">mean speaking in Japanese.</strong></p><p class=""> </p><p class="">
  <strong class="">Chapter 10: Epiphany of Destruction</strong>
</p><p class="">I stare in sheer horror as the sight of my “best friend” dawns upon me. The wind breezes past me as the sound of gushing water volumes from below. I’m in a total state of shock as I’m on all fours, gazing at Sai and Erito. His friends stand behind me as they all chuckle to one another.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Erito?! How could you?!”</em> Monika screamed from behind.</p><p class="">Erito looked down at me, then at his brother quickly.</p><p class=""><em class="">“You told me you wouldn’t do anything to them! You said that if I tipped them off, you wouldn’t hurt them!”</em> Erito said loudly.</p><p class="">I gritted my teeth.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“ERITO! ARE YOU SO FUCKING NAIVE THAT-”</em>
</p><p class="">I feel a swift kick to my shin as I jump forward and pick myself up.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Shut up kid. You’ll only talk when Sai wants you to.”</em> One of Sai’s friends says.</p><p class="">Sai puts his hand up.</p><p class=""><em class="">“At ease, people.”</em> He says smugly.</p><p class="">He walks down the bridge and closer to me. I start to hold my ground and position myself when I see his friends inch ever closer towards me once more. Sai motions his head as my legs almost get taken out, when I jump to the side. His friends charge me at full speed as I defend myself to the best of my ability, however, to no avail.</p><p class="">My arms get locked behind me as I get pinned to the ground. I attempt to kick my way out, but all of his friends pin me down as Sai grins.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“You know, you always tout about “knowing one’s pain,” about how that you could feel what I feel. See what I see, hear what I hear, that you’re a carbon copy of me. It’s so, fucking, retarded about how you go on and on and on about this bullshit, yet it’s something you truly know nothing about.”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Brother, stop this! This wasn’t what we agree-”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Wasn’t what we agreed upon, Erito? So naive, so dense, exactly like our father. You want all this good to happen, yet you, like your “friend” over here, is so oblivious to the fact that you’re the problem. YOU. Are the root of this cause.”</em>
</p><p class="">He walks around me as the sole of his right shoe slowly pushes against the left side of my face. I grit my body in pain as the pressure gets ever so much stronger. I flick my head to the side as the pain of his shoe stops momentarily.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Quite a feisty one, eh? I already knew that from fighting you so many times. Yet, for some reason, I could never get your full picture.”</em>
</p><p class=""><em class="">“Probably ‘cause he lost all of them.”</em> His friends said laughingly.</p><p class="">Sai grins in laughter as his face resembles a demonic cheshire cat.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Exactly! Wow. You’re quite smart, Yazua.”</em> Sai responds.</p><p class="">I look up to see Erito frozen in place.</p><p class=""><em class="">“I’ll never forgive you for this, you lying piece of SHIT!”</em> Natsuki yells.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Christ, woman! Can’t you see that I’m kind of busy here, with your pathetic ragdoll you call a person?”</em>
</p><p class=""><em class="">“Don’t you dare touch him.”</em> Tomoya says sternly.</p><p class="">Kaori spoke up as well.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Take another step and-”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“And what? You’re gonna pounce out and bite me? Going to, serenade me with your shitty playing?”</em>
</p><p class="">He strolls around as he admires his hostages. He pokes all of them as he claps his hands in excitement.</p><p class=""><em class="">“You know! Since all of you have been so energetic and eager, let’s get started with the whole shabang shall we?”</em> Sai says excitedly.</p><p class="">He walks over to me as he kneels down and inspects me.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“For the so-called “appetizer”, because you’re a so-called “chef” and what-not, let’s begin with a healthy dose of fun!”</em>
</p><p class=""><em class="">“Brother, PLEASE! STOP THIS!”</em> Erito yelled.</p><p class="">He ran from the top of the bridge as he tried to apprehend his brother, to no avail.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Gee, since you’re here already and so excited, why not I let you do the honors?”</em>
</p><p class="">I kick and squirm to attempt to get out, but I get met with a swift kick to the gut in response.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“For our first dish of the day, how about some moral teachings? Pretty exciting eh?”</em>
</p><p class="">I look to Erito whose expression is nothing but worry and sadness. He seems so lost and confused that he just freezes up once again.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Come, I want to let you watch this, my brother.”</em>
</p><p class="">He walks over to my friends as he motions for some more of his people to walk out. His friends all carry bags with something in them, with only time telling what they contain. Sai walks over to the people carrying the bags as he drops all of them down. He counts them all as he drops one bag in front of each of my friends.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Alright, let’s begin shall we?”</em> Sai says threateningly.</p><p class="">He unzips the first bag, who happens to be Tsubaki.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“So. First off. Looks like we got a baseball bat.”</em>
</p><p class="">He hits it against the ground.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Pretty thick one at that. Pretty ordinary though. Here ya boys go.”</em>
</p><p class="">He tosses the bat to his friends.</p><p class=""><em class="">“You fucking bastard, Sai.”</em> Tsubaki says angrily.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“I overheard you saying that you wanted to beat the shit out of me with your bat. Well, you were always feisty as I knew you. I’ll give you half of that however.”</em>
</p><p class="">His friends grinned as they looked at Tsubaki.</p><p class=""><em class="">“No, DON’T!”</em> Erito says quickly.</p><p class="">But it’s no use.</p><p class="">I see Sai’s friends hit Tsubaki’s thighs with the bat as she screams in terror. They keep hitting her as she’s tough and doesn’t relent.</p><p class=""><em class="">“STOP IT! STOP IT!”</em> Sayori cries out.</p><p class=""><em class="">“I’LL FUCKING KILL YOU!”</em> Tsubaki yells out.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Hey, you wanted this, not me.”</em> Sai says.</p><p class="">I see Tsubaki breathe hardly as her legs emit the same crimson liquid that’s so noticeable.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Huh. That didn’t affect you that badly as I thought it would. Didn’t know your legs were that tough. No matter, onto the next one.”</em>
</p><p class="">Tears and sweat stream down from my face as Erito looks up at me. He mouths the words “I’m so sorry” as I look at him with anger and sadness. How could he? Why was he so fucking naive as to do something like this?</p><p class=""><em class="">“Alright, next up, Kaori!”</em> Sai says out. He pulls out a violin case as Kaori’s face turns into a shocked expression.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“That’s. That’s my-”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Yup, your prized violin. So antique, so well-crafted, quite expensive as well. You see, all I asked was that you borrow it to me for, let’s say, 5 minutes? But you couldn’t even do that. Citing my “past violences” and how I’m such a bad person. Yet, you side with Peter, the epitome of a such “high moral character.””</em>
</p><p class="">He picks up the violin bow as he breaks Kaori’s white violin case in half. It shatters throughout the wooden bridge as Kaori kicks and screams.</p><p class=""><em class="">“STOP IT! PLEASE! I’LL LET YOU BORROW IT I SWEAR!”</em> Kaori cries out.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Oh really, well then, let me borrow it for this one instance then.”</em>
</p><p class="">He plays a raggedy tone as his bow scrapes against the fine strings. He pushes harder and harder and some pieces of the bow fall off.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Welp, guess it’s the violin, not me.”</em>
</p><p class="">He looks at me as I meet his gaze.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Don’t worry you crybaby, I won’t hit you with it, I’m just going to put it back where it belongs.”</em>
</p><p class="">He looks to Kaori who looks back at him with tears engulfing her face. Sai looks on eagerly as he feels one of the rails of the bridge.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Perfect.”</em> He says quietly.</p><p class="">With a loud smash and crack the violin breaks into multiple pieces. He throws them along with the cases into the river as Kaori screams in agony.</p><p class=""><em class="">“NO! NO! NO! YOU FUCKING BASTARD!”</em> Kaori cries out angrily. She kicks and squirms to her hardest but she just gets locked in tighter and tighter.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Damn. You see, just like that. My pain. My things in life, broken. Right in front of me. So close yet so far.”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Alright, let’s see who’s up next.”</em>
</p><p class="">He walks over to Watari as he skips Kousei.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Looks like I’ve done enough to your glasses-friend over there. But to you, oh boy. You got something coming up.”</em>
</p><p class="">He reaches in the bag as he pulls out a golden boot.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Award from last year. Best scorer and player on the soccer team. So undeserving.”</em>
</p><p class="">He cocks back as he wacks the metal award at Watari’s shin. He screams out in pain as the hits get harder and harder.</p><p class=""><em class="">“GRAHHH! FUCK. YOU!”</em> Kousei says angrily.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Alright, nerd. Since you wanted it so badly.”</em>
</p><p class="">Sai throws the award at Kousei as it cleans his nose, damaging it even further. Kousei cries out in pain as his nose starts bleeding once more as his glasses fall off and crack beneath him.</p><p class="">Watching this all unfold. This, shitshow. This pain. Watching my friends get tortured and injured over and over again, builds something within me. I don’t know what it is, like something burning inside me. Exactly like back home.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Next up, 2 for 1 combo. Tomoya and Nagisa. You 2 have seen an awful lot of time together. With that in mind, your father, Nagisa, that person. Quite the smoker ain’t he. Same goes for your father, Tomoya. Except he’s quite an exceptional one at that.”</em>
</p><p class="">Tomoya looks in anger as Nagisa’s face turns to worry. Sai reaches in to pull out a cigarette and a beer bottle. He puts the cigarette to his mouth as his friends light it up for him. He stands in the breeze as the smell of smoke now fills the air.</p><p class="">Without a second to think, he swings the beer bottle at Tomoya’s shoulder as it shatters into a million pieces.</p><p class=""><em class="">“TOMOYA! NO!”</em> Nagisa cries out.</p><p class=""><em class="">“TOMOYA!”</em> Sunohara screams. <em class="">“LET GO OF ME YOU IDIOT!”</em></p><p class="">He screams in pain as he attempts to grip his shoulder when his arm gets pulled down and locked even harder. Sai laughs as he walks up to Nagisa.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“And this, pretty lady, is for you. Courtesy of me emulating your father.”</em>
</p><p class="">He takes the cigarette out of his mouth as he brings it closer towards Nagisa. She tries to squirm out, only to be met with a tighter grip. Sai looks at her dead straight in the eyes as he burns the cigarette on Nagisa’s arm.</p><p class="">She yelps in pain as the sound of the burning cigarette fizzles out as he drops it onto the bridge floor, leaving a red and black mark on Nagisa’s arm.</p><p class=""><em class="">“YOU’LL REGRET THIS!”</em> Kyou yells.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Will I? Eh, probably not.”</em> Sai shrugs.</p><p class="">Nagisa’s tears hit the floor as Sai gives one good kick to Tomoya as he moves on.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Su.No.Hara. Used to be one of our best players on the soccer team. Shame that you couldn’t hold onto that position now. Look at you. Wasting away with these people. Throwing away your scholarship like it was nothing. Just like your sister.”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Don’t you dare talk about Mei.”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“So that’s her name? Cute one at that. I don’t really have much for you, just a few things.”</em>
</p><p class="">He cocks back his arm as he swings straight into Sunohara’s liver area as he wheezes out. He tries to move but he can’t, a straight shot to the liver is bound to put anyone out of commission.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Just know, your sister is next, buddy.”</em> Sai says.</p><p class="">He moves on to Kyou and Tomoyo.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Well then, Kyou. We know you’ve been riding your motorbike to school. Quite against the policy. Lucky for you though, that won’t be a problem.”</em>
</p><p class="">A Vespa wheels out from behind as Sai’s friends all take demolishing tools.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“What the. What are you-”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“It’s all yours, boys!”</em>
</p><p class="">His friends grin happily as they start smashing in the vespa. Shards of glass spill throughout the floor as oil leaks out of one side, with metal shards and pieces scattered all around the bike.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“See? Now there's no more problems to be made.”</em>
</p><p class="">He walks up to Tomoyo.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“And you, get the best out of them all. Roughing up my colleagues, thinking that I wouldn’t notice? I wonder who’s the real bully here.”</em>
</p><p class="">He hands her a spare baseball bat as I get dragged ever so closer to her.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Go ahead. Hit him.”</em>
</p><p class=""><em class="">“I-I can’t!”</em> Tomoyo says shakingly.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Fine. Since you want more of an incentive…”</em>
</p><p class="">He snaps his fingers as he takes out a woodchopping axe. He nears a sakura tree as he hacks one down, to the horror of Tomoyo.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Heard you wanted to save these. Either hit Peter, or the tree gets it. And we can go all fucking day.”</em>
</p><p class="">With every second passing, Sai hacks at more sakura trees. Tomoyo grips the baseball bat with fear as she stares at me.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Just fucking hit me.”</em> I say angrily.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“But, I-”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“JUST FUCKING DO IT!”</em>
</p><p class="">She swings as hard as she can as the bat immediately breaks into two, with my right leg profusely drawing blood as splinters and red marks arise from the leg. The familiar shade of crimson runs down and into my sock as I grit my teeth in pain. The saltiness of the tears falls down from my eyes as Tomoyo drops the bat as she apologizes to me.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Don’t say sorry, Tomoyo. You didn’t do that for my friends.”</em>
</p><p class="">Sai passes me as he kicks me in the ribs and spits onto my leg.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Sayori. Always the bubbly one. Always energetic and cheerful. Wish I could have some more of that in my life. Anyways, what I got for you here are pure, delightful cookies!”</em>
</p><p class="">He pulls out a packet of cookies as Sayori tries to turn her face away.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Either eat it, or Peter gets it.”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Don’t eat it, Sayori!”</em>
</p><p class="">Tears well up in her eyes as she takes a bite of the cookie as she starts chewing it in her mouth. She cries more and more as she spits out a razor blade as he spit bleeds out from her mouth.</p><p class=""><em class="">“STOP IT YOU BASTARD. I'LL MAKE YOU SUFFER!”</em> I yell out.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Oh my. I thought you wanted to forgive me. Now you want to kill me? Make up your damn mind.”</em>
</p><p class="">He takes the razor blade and pockets it as he moves on to Yuri.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“I heard you like sharp things Yuri, your sharp intellect, your sharp tongue, all of that. So why not I give you a treat?”</em>
</p><p class="">He pulls out her teapot set up as she drops them all on the floor, smashing them all to bits.</p><p class="">Yuri’s face turns red as she kicks Sai in the arm, using her long stature.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“DAMN! ALRIGHT! YOU WANTED IT, YOU GOT IT!”</em>
</p><p class="">Yuri immediately regrets her decision as Sai takes a sharp piece from the broken tea set as he goes up to me.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Remember, it’s her, not me. Your so-called “friends.””</em>
</p><p class="">He stabs me in the side with the teapot slowly as I scream out in agony.</p><p class=""><em class="">“STOP THIS!”</em> Yuri yells.</p><p class=""><em class="">“PETER!”</em> Natsuki yells.</p><p class="">He finishes as he stares directly at me, throwing away the shard to the side. He walks past a crying Yuri and bleeding Sayori as he moves on, to his second final victim.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Monika, Monika. The whole orchestrator of this entire plan. You know what? I always thought you were smart, and all of those qualities. Yet, you created something so undeniably stupid, along with telling Erito your entire thing. For that, I thank you. So you don’t have to give anything.”</em>
</p><p class="">Monika stares in horror as Sai stops.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Oh right, my brother’s got the whole hots for you. Let me help you with that.”</em>
</p><p class="">He takes Monika’s signature pen from her as he hands it to his brother.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Here you go, you know what to do.”</em>
</p><p class=""><em class="">“B-Break it?”</em> Erito stammers.</p><p class="">Sai rolls his eyes.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Truly, disgustingly, naive you are.”</em>
</p><p class="">He snatches the pen from Erito as he looks down at him.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“You know, I’ve been running out of ideas, so I think I’m going to save the best for last.”</em>
</p><p class="">Sai swings around as he jams the pen into my left hand. Blood comes pouring out as Monika looks on in horror as I scream in pain. He yanks the pen out of my bloodied hand as he hands the now partially crimson pen to his brother.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Here you go.”</em>
</p><p class="">Erito just sits there as the pen drops onto the floor.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“And finally, Natsuki. The best is truly saved for last.”</em>
</p><p class="">He pulls out his razor blade as he reaches into her bigger bag, containing all of her favorite mangas.</p><p class=""><em class="">“N-No!”</em> Natsuki quivers.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Your favorite mangas right? You were the one that always, no matter what, just became a thorn at my side. Whether bothering me, acting like a total douche, crying and bitching about everything, it all just adds up, you know. And a girl like you, needs a lesson to be learned.”</em>
</p><p class="">He takes his razor blade as he slowly cuts up the manga into pieces.</p><p class=""><em class="">“NO! STOP!”</em> Natsuki screams.</p><p class="">She tries to flail around, only to be met with more ripping noises.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Dragon Ball. Parfait Girls. Naruto. Death Note. FullMetal Alchemist. Doctor Stone. Tokyo Ghoul. Wow. All of the mainstream mangas.”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“STOP IT PLEASE. STOP IT!”</em>
</p><p class="">Natsuki’s face turns red as it swells up with tears.</p><p class="">Sai smiles as he finishes ripping all of her manga and placing the shreds at her feet.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Oh we’re not done yet.”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Wha-”</em>
</p><p class="">SMACK!</p><p class="">Sai, without a hesitation, slaps Natsuki across the face.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“You see, when I used to work with your father, he taught me a lot of things, like teaching hard, stern lessons, knowing what’s right and what’s wrong. But a lesson he taught that will stick with me forever, is that you inevitably hurt the ones you care about.”</em>
</p><p class="">Sai grins once more as he swiftly punches Natsuki in the abdomen, as she spits out.</p><p class=""><em class="">“STOP THIS MADNESS!”</em> I scream out.</p><p class="">Sai looks back at me, then smiles as he hits Natsuki even harder, this time across the ribs.</p><p class="">Natsuki screams in pain as each hit gets harder and harder. Sai takes the razor blade as he cuts Natsuki in some places, as blood draws out from her wounds. Sai takes out a photo from his wallet as he pushes it to Natsuki’s face.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“MY MOTHER IS DEAD, BECAUSE OF YOUR FATHER. FOR ONCE, A REAL FATHER FIGURE IN MY LIFE, WHETHER STEP-DAD OR NOT, BUT NO. ALL OF IT, THROWN AWAY BECAUSE OF THE FAULTS OF YOUR FAMILY. ALCOHOL, DRUGS, THE LOVE FOR MONEY, FOR WHAT? MY MOTHER’S LIFE? SHE IS DEAD BECAUSE OF THE THINGS YOUR FAMILY HAS DONE. HER BLOOD IS ON YOUR FAMILY NAME.”</em>
</p><p class=""><em class="">“Mom’s… dead?”</em> Erito mumbled to himself.</p><p class="">Sai screams as he goes back to beating the shit out of Natsuki.</p><p class="">Everyone’s screaming for Sai to stop as he eventually does. Natsuki’s face looks bloodied as a black eye protrudes from her right eye. I squirm more and more to get to Natsuki as the feeling within me burns ever more. This flame inside of me burns brighter and brighter as the scene of my friends getting tortured hits me.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“I knew he was a mistake. I was just too naive to see it, wanting for a better future. But, he isn’t here for me to beat the crap out of, so I’ll just do his fucking excuse of a daughter, and the piece of shit who thinks he knows everything.”</em>
</p><p class="">Sai walks up to me as he punches me again and again. I take them all as I start to cough out blood when Sai stops to look at me. His friends let me go as I fall to my knees. I look up at him as he starts to pant.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Come on. That's all you got? You’d make anyone look good compared to you.”</em> I said tauntingly, but stupidly.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Don’t get so ahead of yourself kid.”</em> He said back sternly.</p><p class="">We engaged once more in combat as I heard a scream echo from my side. Natsuki was seen held closely together as the 2 delinquents clutched her like a teddy bear. The 2 men stared at each other as they looked at Sai. He nodded back as they began to put Natsuki in a choke hold.</p><p class=""><em class="">“NO!”</em> I scream.</p><p class="">She began gasping for her as I quickly dodged Sai’s attacks and attempted to make my way towards her, when I was tripped by a sweeping kick and put in a leg lock by Sai.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Looks like the mouse couldn’t get the cheese eh?”</em> He said.</p><p class="">His legs tightened harder around my neck as I began to asphyxiate.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Let. Me. Go.”</em> I said through my short breaths.</p><p class="">Natsuki reached for me as her face began to turn blue.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Let. Me. GO!”</em>
</p><p class="">With each word said, my consciousness was fading.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Haha. Look at you! Damn. You’re a sorry excuse for a fighter huh? Fucking faggot.”</em>
</p><p class="">I closed my eyes as I attempted to separate his legs to no avail. This was not the way I was gonna go out. All my life.</p><p class="">Torment.</p><p class="">Anger.</p><p class="">Hatred.</p><p class="">All I wanted was retribution. The memories. All of them flowing back like a newly opened river as it flooded my mind. The abuse. The pure agony that I had suffered. I gritted my teeth in anger as I screamed as loud as I could. I could feel the ignition of an ember within me. Like something snapped for once inside me. No longer was I going to be a somebody’s fucking chew toy to play with. I didn’t care who they were, or how old they were. It didn’t matter to me if they were a high-school delinquent, or a deadbeat father. They were all the same to me.</p><p class="">Something awakened inside of me. People like Sai deserved no mercy. Exactly like my father. For years I have allowed the torment of my family to take its toll on me, exacting no retribution. Demanded no remuneration. What have I gained for giving such mercy? More intrigue. More senseless violence throughout my whole life. This. Has. To. End.</p><p class="">It isn’t a sin to fight for a just cause, especially one like this. To some, words are easy to reach, to mend and mould and change, but others like Sai, words alone will not affect him. I never wanted to fight. Even those times where I wanted to end my suffering, with the death of my parents, it all amounted to nothing. I don’t want to hurt others, especially those that relate so much to me, like a mirror image of my future self. But it is because I want to cherish all those other lives, the ones of my friends, my peers, myself and even Sai. I must let those restraints go.</p><p class="">I now had the epiphany of his destruction.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“LET. ME. GOOO!”</em>
</p><p class="">With an additional scream, I bit with all I could into Sai’s legs as I could feel my teeth sink ever so into his flesh. He yelled in agony as I pushed his legs off of me and sprinted towards the 2 assailants. I stared into their fear-stricken souls as they let go of Natsuki who fell to the ground, gasping for air with her face and body bloodied and wounded . I pounced without hesitation onto them as I beat them into smithereens, using all of my fighting techniques that I have learned. My mind was so focused on one task at hand.</p><p class="">To beat these motherfuckers back and save my friends.</p><p class="">The 2 assailants laid on the ground as I glanced over at the others. I rushed towards them as they all let my friends go as they all fell to the ground.</p><p class=""><em class="">“GRAH! YOU BASTARD!”</em> Sai screamed. I saw him beeline towards me as I charged forward at him. My injuries felt like nothing now as my vision was based solely on Sai. He engaged first as we threw punches at each other, dodging and absorbing some. He punched me clean across the face as I gave a clean kick to his side. We grappled each other around as we both exchanged more blows. Sai put me in a headlock as I bit into his arm, drawing a significant amount of blood as he grabbed it in pain. He stared at me with fear as I inched closer.</p><p class="">I got a clean strike onto Sai as he staggered back. I wasted no time in giving him any space as I pounced on him once more. He fell back as I sat on his chest and beat the living shit out of him. With every punch that connected onto his face, I screamed in anger.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“YOU!”</em>
</p><p class="">SMACK!</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“SORRY!”</em>
</p><p class="">SMACK!</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“GOOD FOR”</em>
</p><p class="">SMACK!</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“NOTHING!”</em>
</p><p class="">SMACK!</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“WASTE OF!”</em>
</p><p class="">SMACK!</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“A HUMAN!”</em>
</p><p class="">SMACK!</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“BEING!”</em>
</p><p class="">I hit him continuously over and over again as Sai’s face turned bloodier and bloodier. I was going to continue on my brutal beatdown when I heard a scream to my left.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“STOP!”</em>
</p><p class="">Everyone looked to the left to see Erito.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Peter. What have you done?!”</em>
</p><p class="">I looked down to see Sai crying with his face beaten into a pulp with blood running down my fists. It’s like a snap back to reality as I went out of my hardened, blackened rage.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“I-I’m so sorry-”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“JUST SHUT UP! LOOK AT WHAT YOU’VE CAUSED!”</em>
</p><p class="">I stood up to see everyone staring at me as I felt an overwhelming amount of guilt wash over me.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“YOU’VE BECOME THE VERY THING YOU WISHED TO DESTROY! GOING ON ABOUT FORGIVENESS AND THAT. WHERE IS THAT PETER? WHERE IS THE PETER THAT WOULD FORGIVE HIS PAST PROBLEMS? WHERE IS THE PETER THAT WOULD HELP DIFFUSE THE SITUATION? WHERE IS THE PETER THAT WOULD HELP AND FORGIVE SAI?”</em>
</p><p class="">Erito stood on top of the bridge’s railing as the tears poured down from his eyes.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“I. I can’t do this anymore. I’ve caused too much pain. It’s all my fault. I’m the one who caused this, not you. I’m such a fucking idiot. Like I’ve always been. A failure. To my parents, my brother, my teachers, my peers, and now my fucking best friend. No more, will this continue.”</em>
</p><p class="">My face turns to shock as his foot edges the side of the bridge.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“If I must die, for all of this to end. For forgiveness to come arises. To give myself up for the greater good. To atone for what I’ve done, what I’ve wrought upon this world. For you all to finally wake up and see the problems going on, including my friends and my own family.”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Then so be it.”</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Chapter 11: End of an Era</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class=""><em class=""><strong class="">Feature: Italics</strong></em> <strong class="">mean speaking in Japanese.</strong></p><p class=""> </p><p class="">
  <strong class="">Chapter 11: End of an Era</strong>
</p><p class="">It was like time had stopped.</p><p class="">Like everything was slowed down.</p><p class="">My best friend. Falling to his impending death.</p><p class="">The gushing of the violent water below. The angry wind stoking the flames of my rage-filled fire. The noise of the sole of a pair of sports shoes, pushing off against the creaking old wood of the antique bridge.</p><p class="">I uselessly stuck my hand out, even though we were so far apart from each other.</p><p class="">Why?</p><p class="">Everyday for 2 weeks I sat next to him. Connected with him. We were only 5 feet apart each time we sat in that same homeroom. We were so close to one another. Emotionally connected, physically close.</p><p class="">But why was it so hard to reach him now?</p><p class="">His figure faded everyone’s view, with his tears floating above him for a second, as he fell into the vicious waters below.</p><p class="">“NO!”</p><p class="">I screamed as I ran violently towards the railing. Erito’s side hit a rock as it made a bone-cracking sound, as his body was covered by the raging waters below.</p><p class="">My mind was in a state of panic. I could feel the anxiety overwhelm me as my cognitive abilities were thrown out the window.</p><p class="">“No, no, no, no, NO!”</p><p class="">I hurried down the bridge as I collapsed face first onto the hard, bridge floor. I grabbed my bleeding left hand in an agonizing pain as my right leg was covered in the same shade of crimson.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Peter!”</em>
</p><p class="">Sunohara called my name as my friends ran towards me.</p><p class=""><em class="">“We have to get him, NOW!”</em> I said angrily.</p><p class="">The whole group nodded as they all ran downwards along the riverbank, as Sunohara tended to me.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Where’s Natsuki?”</em> I asked through panting breaths.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“She’s alright, but dazed and extremely scared. Nagisa’s with her now.”</em>
</p><p class="">I looked back to see a bleeding, trembling and crying Natsuki being held fully by a weeping Nagisa.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“You have to get me to Erito, please!”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“No way, in your stat-”</em>
</p><p class="">I breathed in harshly as I yelled.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Sunohara, PLEASE! JUST DO IT!”</em>
</p><p class="">He was taken aback a bit as he sighed.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Alright, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”</em>
</p><p class="">I was hoisted up by Sunohara as I thanked him. I looked back once more to see Nagisa nod as she motioned for me to follow my other friends. I grabbed my right leg in pain as I limped in pursuit of my friends.</p><p class=""><em class="">“You sure you don’t need any help?”</em> Sunohara asked quickly.</p><p class="">I looked at him as I pointed straight.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“I’ll be fine, just go!”</em>
</p><p class="">Sunohara nodded as she sprinted to follow the group.</p><p class="">I fastly limped along the riverbank as the wind blew me in the same direction. The rustling of the trees echoed throughout the environment as the orange sun bled behind me.</p><p class="">“Peter.”</p><p class="">I looked around while limping to see nothing.</p><p class="">“PETER!”</p><p class="">The voice penetrated straight through me as I tried to ignore and continue in pursuit.</p><p class="">“You couldn’t save anyone.”</p><p class="">The words burned me as I continued even faster.</p><p class="">“Your friends are hurt, maimed, wounded. Your best friend, on the verge of death.”</p><p class="">Shut up!</p><p class="">But the voice didn’t stop.</p><p class="">“Just stop running, you can’t save him.”</p><p class="">SHUT UP!</p><p class="">“Just like how you couldn’t save your own, fucking family.”</p><p class="">NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!</p><p class="">I gritted my teeth as I sprinted down the side of the river. My face was drenched with sweat and tears as my pain only grew larger and larger. Blood was practically being tracked along the road I was running on as I screamed and bursted my way to Erito.</p><p class="">What have I done? I’m such a fucking failure. I caused my friends to get hurt, everyone I know and love is scarred, because of me? I’m a walking, fucking nightmare. Everywhere I go, people get hurt, wounded, whether physically or emotionally.</p><p class="">Sai was right. I AM the problem.</p><p class="">Erito was wrong, it’s not his fault, it’s all MINE.</p><p class="">My parents were right, I was the one who stoked their worst fears, caused them to become who they are today.</p><p class="">I was wrong, all of the damn time.</p><p class="">I stopped running as I buckled and collapsed onto the coarse, rough grass. Tears flooded my eyes as I punched the dirt repeatedly. I screamed and yelled as my agony was heard throughout the entire area. My nose became runny as my tears watered the soil below me.</p><p class="">My sobbing was the only noise I could hear as only my eyelids shielded me from the outside world. I was lost. Everything I did, was always a fucking mess. I abandon my family for what? Witness another person that I care deeply about die? By taking his own, damn life? For me to realise the wrongs and wake up? That the problem was me all along?</p><p class="">I’m sorry Erito.</p><p class="">I’m, so fucking sorry.</p><p class="">All of my friends put their trust into me.</p><p class="">And I fucking failed.</p><p class="">My sobbing continued as the breeze stopped flowing behind me, with the rustling of the trees being silenced. The waters even grew quiet as only my pain was heard. Footsteps got closer to me as I heard a familiar voice.</p><p class="">“Peter.”</p><p class="">...</p><p class="">“Peter.”</p><p class="">Go away. You’ve made your point clear.</p><p class="">“Peter, it’s not your fault.”</p><p class="">The voice sounded exactly like Erito’s.</p><p class="">What do you want?</p><p class="">“You didn’t hurt anybody. Sai did.”</p><p class="">I did hurt people, exactly like him.</p><p class="">“Peter, you helped these people, your friends.”</p><p class="">Friends? Helped them how? By greatening their problems?</p><p class="">By-</p><p class="">“Shut up. Now.”</p><p class="">Silence.</p><p class="">“Every, single, one of them put their trust into you. They made you their representative, their voice. They trusted you with such a great thing, when only knowing you for 2-3 God damn weeks! Erito opened up to you, and only you, because he trusted you. He wanted you to know because he VALUED you. He looked up to you, your leadership, your academic skills, your connection to him, EVERYTHING.”</p><p class="">I responded with nothing.</p><p class="">“This isn't you. Berating yourself, blaming yourself, saying sorry even though you did nothing wrong, wanting to atone for a crime YOU didn’t commit. With all you’re doing right now, you’re just throwing it all away! You helped everyone, by being the main catalyst of this whole thing. And they did that, because they’re your FRIENDS.”</p><p class="">“And exactly what you are with Erito.”</p><p class="">I chuckled and smiled a bit as I picked myself up from the hard ground. I was more pumped now than ever. The surge of adrenaline ran through me once again as the pain subsided to another dimension. I breathed in and out as I clenched my fists together. My chest was filled with that same, butterfly feeling as I gazed ahead.</p><p class="">You’re Goddamn right I’m Erito’s friend. And I will save him.</p><p class="">“Cuz that’s what friends are for, and what they do for each other.”</p><p class="">Because I’m his-</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Friend.”</em>
</p><p class="">I looked to my right side as I saw Nagisa carrying a frail Natsuki, along with an injured Tsubaki next to them.</p><p class="">“You were talking quite a lot to yourself there dummy, talking and then responding back to yourself.” Natsuki said with a broken smile.</p><p class="">My face reddened.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Natsuki, I’m so sor-”</em>
</p><p class=""><em class="">“Go.”</em> Natsuki responded. <em class="">“Your friends need you.”</em></p><p class=""><em class="">“Yeah.”</em> I responded back. <em class="">“Plus all this talking has-”</em></p><p class=""><em class="">“GO!”</em> All three of them said at once.</p><p class="">Nagisa gave me a stern look as I nodded and smiled. I thanked all of them as I ran and sprinted down the riverbank once more. The breeze behind me blew again as the rustling of the trees followed. My shadow followed me closely as the shining of the sun shone behind me.</p><p class="">Don’t worry Erito, I’m fucking coming.</p><p class="">I weaved my way through the trees and rocks as I bursted past the shocked expression of my friends.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Pet-”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“No time, let’s go!”</em>
</p><p class="">For once in my pathetic life, I have the power to change something. My family was different, I couldn’t change them at that moment. But for once, finally, I can change something, alter my life for the better.</p><p class="">And I am NOT going to fail now.</p><p class="">I looked quickly to the left to see Erito’s body dangling and floating in the river, only being pushed by the hard current. I placed the heel of my shoe downwards as I slid against the grass hill, and next to the river.</p><p class="">I swiftly looked at the surroundings as I grabbed one of the rocks, and entered the river. The gushing water stung against my wounds as I slowly maneuvered myself through the treacherous waters. Using all of my strength, I grabbed wet stone to wet stone as I reached out with my right arm, and extended it to Erito’s coming body.</p><p class="">Now it wasn’t hard to reach him. I understand it now. That there had to be change to take place. But violence isn’t the answer, killing isn’t the solver to the crisis. Even though violence is necessary on some occasions, and some people had to pay, with Sai, that wasn’t the right call. Erito wanted me to see that, in a flash moment. And now I had.</p><p class="">Putting his friends before him, I wondered who looked up to who now.</p><p class="">With my right arm extended, I reached for Erito as his body hit my arm. I grabbed his uniform collar as I attempted to make my way back to shore, but I wasn’t budging.</p><p class="">I. I couldn’t! My strength was virtually taken from me. Why now?!</p><p class="">I attempted to reach for the other rocks and strained myself when a wave pushed beneath my legs as I slipped into the water, with only my injured left arm holding on for dear life.</p><p class="">Fuck. This is it. I strained myself to keep holding as I saw my friends reach out to me. They all formed a steady human line as Watari reached out to me.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Peter! Take my hand!”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“It’s too dangerous! If I let go, we’ll both fall!”</em>
</p><p class=""><em class="">“PETER, PLEASE! JUST DO IT!”</em> Sunohara yelled from the back.</p><p class="">I took in a deep breath as I collected myself. One shot. One chance. And just like I said, I am not going to fail now.</p><p class="">I let go of the rock as in that split second, Watari grabbed my hand firmly. I gritted my teeth in pain as Watari yelled back.</p><p class=""><em class="">“I got him, now pull me back!”</em> I felt a tug as me and Erito were taken out of the water, and onto the safe shores. I let go of Erito as I hacked and coughed out water as my drenched body soaked the dirt below me.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Jesus Peter, are you alright?!”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Yeah, I’m fine. Get to Erito!”</em>
</p><p class="">Kaori and Tomoyo tended to me as I crawled my way to Erito. Tomoya checked his pulse quickly as his eyes widened.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“He isn’t breathing!”</em>
</p><p class="">He quickly lifted up the sleeves of his shirt as he swiftly performed CPR. I looked on in horror as each pulse passed by the second.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Erito, no…”</em>
</p><p class="">I felt my head get heavy as I grabbed the side of my skull.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“E...Erito.”</em>
</p><p class="">My eyes started to close on their own as I struggled to keep up. I felt footsteps run to me as Natsuki shook me.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Peter? Peter?!”</em>
</p><p class="">Natsuki tried to hold me to no avail, as I collapsed onto the grass, coughing and hacking even more.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Peter?! Stay with me!”</em>
</p><p class="">The voices around me were getting quieter and quieter as Erito’s body blurred out and out of vision. My whole body felt numb and exhausted as the sounds of an ambulance echoed in the area.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Peter! PETER!”</em>
</p><p class="">Natsuki shakes felt like nothing anymore as my eyes closed, with the vision of Erito blackening out.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Eri… to...”</em>
</p><p class="">My vision was filled with black, as the ambience silenced around me.</p><p class="">
  <strong class="">…</strong>
</p><p class="">I’m back here.</p><p class="">The void.</p><p class="">The blackness of this area really creeps me out.</p><p class="">I walk around as the splashes of my steps indicate I’m walking on water.</p><p class="">It’s silent. Only the drips from the water dropping from the sole of my feet echo this dark place.</p><p class="">The void brightens a little bit, as I make out a figure standing alone, gazing at nothing.</p><p class="">“Erito?”</p><p class="">I walk over as the figure turns around and faces me.</p><p class="">“Erito!”</p><p class="">The figure of Erito stares at me, but says nothing.</p><p class="">“I’m. I’m so sorry about everything.” I begin.</p><p class="">Erito still stares at me, as his gaze penetrates my very being.</p><p class="">“With everything that happened. I could’ve helped you earlier, counseled you, made smarter decisions than the ones that I chose. But I didn’t. I went in, gung-ho about the plan, so eager to antagonize a man that I even barely knew. And look what that caused. Scars. Whether mental or physical they will always stay there. Because of me, my failure. Worse off was what happened after. I, in my stupid fit of fucking rage, beat your brother into a pulp, crossing a damn life that was so clearly put there. What caused me to cross that line, I hope you understand, but I still fucking did it. And you saved me from doing anything else, putting your own life on the line, so that others can fix themselves and to help the people around you, doing something so fucking selfless, something I wish I could do. Your dad said how you looked up to me, and imagine that, watching the person you look up to beat your own family member into submission with nothing but his flaring temper and his 2, bare fucking hands. It’s not my friends fault. Please. It’s mine. If this is the last time I talk to you, I just want you to know that I am so, so, so, to the ends of this wretched earth. Sorry.”</p><p class="">I was on my knees at this point. Tears began to swell in my eyes, as I felt a comforting hand on my shoulder.</p><p class="">“Peter. Once again, you blame yourself for something you didn’t do. And neither did your friends. You helped all of us, fixed a problem no one else had courage to do. You came from a distant land, fresh out of the water, only to save us from that… man. I was the one that told my brother about the plan, I was the one that caused all of this. So it was only right for me to atone for what I had done. It was our fault, to put you through those things, those problems, shoving OUR problems into your responsibility. Putting on so much peer pressure on you. I think it’s safe to say that our scars were put on by Sai and us, not by you.”</p><p class="">“Peter.”</p><p class="">The figure, now only black and shadowy, got on both knees as it bent it's head.</p><p class="">“Please. Forgive us.”</p><p class="">My face turned to shock as I composed myself and smiled.</p><p class="">“Can I also ask for the same thing?”</p><p class="">The figure looked up as he gave me a hug. I returned one back to it. The figure then turned to a bright light and spoke, as I shielded my eyes from the oncoming flash.</p><p class="">“Thank you.”</p><p class="">My vision was black now as I heard the oh-so-familiar sounds of a vital signs monitor beeping to my heartbeat. I slowly opened my eyes as the bright lights of wherever I was shone back to greet me. I winced and blinked as I regained my vision around me.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Hey. You’re finally awake.”</em>
</p><p class="">I opened my eyes fully to see all of my friends surround my warm and white hospital bed.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Yeah. What I’d miss?”</em> I responded back.</p><p class="">I moved slowly as I gritted at the pain of my entire body.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Woah, woah, easy there tough guy.”</em> Tomoya said.</p><p class=""><em class="">“What happened…?”</em> I asked.</p><p class="">“Well, shortly before you passed out, Nagisa called the ambulance to our area. When you did, the ambulance arrived and took you guys to the hospital. You guys being, you, Erito and Sai.”</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Erito! Is he alright?!”</em>
</p><p class=""><em class="">“Yeah, he’s fine, in stable condition right now, but we almost lost him.”</em> Kaori responded.</p><p class="">I smiled in relief as I laid back in my cot.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“And Sai..?”</em>
</p><p class="">Everyone looked at each other.</p><p class=""><em class="">“He’s ok as well.”</em> Tomoyo said.</p><p class="">I nodded my head as Monika spoke up.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Peter?”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Hmm?”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“We just. We’re really sorry about all of this. To happen to you, you kn-”</em>
</p><p class="">I breathed in and I cut her.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“It’s fine. We all came out scathed regardless. Besides, you guys put your trust into me, something so valuable, allowed me to represent you all, someone who barely even knows how to be accustomed into this country’s culture and environment. I put you guys into harm's way and yet, here you are, at my bedside. I should be the one thanking all of you. Truly.”</em>
</p><p class="">They all smiled as Yuri spoke.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Well… that’s what friends do. Put their trust into each other, and-”</em>
</p><p class="">Everyone looked at her as she blushed and shrunk back.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“I’m sorry, I-’</em>
</p><p class=""><em class="">“Nah, it’s ok.”</em> Kyou responded. <em class="">“What you said was right, Yuri. We’re all friends in this together, no matter how damn cliche that gets, it’s truly the simple things in life that mean the most.”</em></p><p class="">Sayori jumped up as she attempted to hug everyone.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Yay! We’re all friends!”</em>
</p><p class="">We all laughed together as everyone else shared a hug. I looked on in happiness as everyone looked back at me as they all grinned.</p><p class=""><em class="">“I think we’re forgetting someone.”</em> Sayori said smugly.</p><p class="">I looked on in horror as all of my friends gripped the parts of me that didn’t hurt as they shared their group hug with me. Even though it felt really out of place for someone like me, I can’t help but feel that same, warm feeling within. The same one you get when you hug a person that you love, the same one you get when your friend is feeling down as they cry into you.</p><p class="">The nurse walked in as she spoke up.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Alright guys, visiting time is over, you can come back in a few hours.”</em>
</p><p class="">They all groaned as they waved goodbye to me and filed out the door. All except Natsuki.</p><p class="">I looked at her standing in the middle of the room, her face bruised and bandaged along with her entire body. She blushed and she covered her eyes tightly as I got up and leaned from my lying position.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Hey, sorry about what Sai did to-”</em>
</p><p class="">Natsuki suddenly rushed up as she hugged me tightly. I wheezed as she buried her face into my hospital gown. My face immediately turned red as my arms froze in place. I looked down at her pink hair as she spoke.</p><p class=""><em class="">“It's ok. Thank you.”</em> Natsuki said through a muffled voice with tears. <em class="">“Thank you. For taking care of him.”</em></p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Hey, where’s Nats-”</em>
</p><p class="">I heard Watari call as he looked through the doorway and at both of us. He smugly grinned at me, and without saying a word, walked away.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“I was just. So selfish, especially at the school gate. Forcing you to go along with it, regardless of your own thoughts.”</em>
</p><p class="">I smiled as I slowly wrapped my arms around her small frame. That same feeling, like when you friends all hug you as you lay injured, came up again. Like a warm feeling inside your stomach and chest you can’t really comprehend, but you just know that it’s there?</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“It’s alright. I should thank you too, for encouraging me to go through with it. Frankly, without your push, I probably wouldn’t have done it. Plus, I’m the one who allowed Sai to hurt you like that. I didn’t do enou-”</em>
</p><p class="">Natsuki shushed me as we both held each other in that cold, hospital room.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“It’s alright. You’ve done more than enough.”</em>
</p><p class="">After a few seconds, she suddenly got up as her face was entirely red, almost matching the color of the fire extinguishers. She wiped her tears with her arm as she pulled something out of her bag and handed it to me.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“A… letter?”</em>
</p><p class="">Natsuki nodded.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Yeah, but not really. It’s from the school, something the head of school forgot to give you a while back.”</em>
</p><p class="">I thanked her as we just stared at each other.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“You know… what you did back there, you did look kind of cu-”</em>
</p><p class="">I saw her flinch as she held up her fist to me. I reeled back in fear as she almost hits me, then stopped.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Just because you’re hurt, I’ll let you off the hook. But you owe me.”</em>
</p><p class="">She walked away with a red face as I spoke up.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“How about uhh… one cooking lesson then?”</em>
</p><p class="">She looked back as my voice grew quieter.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“For one… baking lesson…?”</em>
</p><p class="">She looked down with an embarrassed face as she looked at me.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Even though you’re a total dummy and an idiot who’ll probably burn every pastry you touch.”</em>
</p><p class="">Natsuki looked at me directly.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“I'd like that.”</em>
</p><p class="">She turned around as she stopped before leaving, turning back at me once more with that same blushed expression.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Thank you, Peter. Truly.”</em>
</p><p class="">We both waved goodbye at each other as she stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her. I look to my left table to see 2 boxes with notes on them. I took the first white note as I opened it.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Enjoy! These came from the best bakery in town!”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">~Kousei</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">~and Kaori!</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">P.S, totally not from Nagisa’s bakery ;)</em>
</p><p class="">I opened to see a couple of canelé’s neatly aligned next to one another. I took open the other box as the note was pink and colorful.</p><p class="">“Something delicious to fill you up, so that you don’t have to only eat hospital food!”</p><p class="">~The Literature Club</p><p class="">P.S, the others are going to get you something too, but you’ll have to wait!</p><p class="">I opened it to see the same cupcake Natsuki had baked for the first time I entered the club. The one that resembled a cat.</p><p class="">I placed both of my gifts back onto the table as I opened the envelope from the head of school. I gazed it up and down as I read the simple contents.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Welcome to TPHS and Japan!”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">~The faculty of TPHS</em>
</p><p class="">I smiled as I kept the envelope back onto the table.</p><p class="">“Welcome to Japan and TPHS huh? Kinda funny timing that I received that now. With all that happened? Good and bad?” I said to myself. I chuckled as I lied back down and turned over the sheets to cover me.</p><p class="">“Funny. That’s a damn, fine welcome.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Chapter 12: The Power Of Affection</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class=""><em class=""><strong class="">Feature: Italics</strong></em> <strong class="">mean speaking in Japanese.</strong></p><p class=""> </p><p class="">
  <strong class="">Chapter 12: The Power Of Affection</strong>
</p><p class="">I deeply inhaled as I closed and opened my eyes. I bent down to the tabletop’s level, carefully eyeing the freshly baked pastry in front of me. I grabbed the froster to my right as I precisely held it above the cupcake, squeezing it’s sweet contents carefully onto the cupcake with my left eye closed.</p><p class="">“Almost… there…”</p><p class="">I watched it’s blue contents swirl in a downward spiral as it laid on top of the cupcake neatly. Moving my hands in a circle, I smiled as I had achieved a perfect cup-</p><p class="">THUD!</p><p class="">“Acha!”</p><p class="">I lifted the froster up as I grabbed my head in annoyance.</p><p class="">“What was that for?”</p><p class="">She glared at me as he pointed to my cupcake. I inched closer to it as I observed my creation.</p><p class="">Or should I say… monstrosity?</p><p class="">“It’s horrible. It looks like something Sunohara would make. The colors don’t match at all, as well as the form of your frosting being completely out of shape.”</p><p class="">I pouted as I grabbed it from the counter, holding it in front of my face.</p><p class="">“I don’t know Natsuki, looks pretty good to me.”</p><p class="">I bit into it as I felt my mouth envelop in its tastes. I handed it to Natsuki who snatched it from my hand as he stared at it ominously. She took a chomp out of it as I watched her face brighten, but then quickly dim.</p><p class="">“Well…?”</p><p class="">I watched her swallow the cake.</p><p class="">“It was amaz-.”</p><p class="">Natsuki stopped suddenly.</p><p class="">“Ok. It was ok.”</p><p class="">I looked at her with a smug grin as I looked back at the kitchen counter, which was a mess. Pots and pans filled the sink as pastry dough and frosting was covered everywhere.</p><p class="">“At least we know one thing’s not ok.”</p><p class="">“What, your ability to bake?”</p><p class="">Natsuki laughed as I stared back at her with contempt.</p><p class="">“It’s alright, I’ll help you clean up.” Natsuki said through laughter.</p><p class="">She stopped after a few moments as she looked at me and motioned for me to follow her to my living room.</p><p class="">“Come on, I want to taste what I made!”</p><p class="">We both walked to the living room as she brought out 2 bento boxes, each filled with the same foods as the other. We sat across from each other with a small table separating us. Natsuki admired her creations as we both placed our hands together and spoke.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Itadakimasu!”</em>
</p><p class="">We both began chowing down Natsuki’s food creations, as she got her phone ready out of her pocket.</p><p class="">“Are we continuing today?” I asked.</p><p class="">She scrolled on her phone some more as a smile beamed on her face, with her nodding in response and looking up at me.</p><p class="">“Yup! I wonder what’ll happen to Cell compared to the manga.”</p><p class="">I smiled as I went back to eating my food, as Natsuki prepared her phone.</p><p class="">It’s been about 2 weeks since our incident with Sai. After I was discharged from the hospital, Sai and Erito were as well, which was about 1 week after the incident. I met them at school later during the week as Erito and I stared at each other, not saying a word. We walked up to each other as Erito hugged me and cried, as I hugged him back.</p><p class="">“Peter, please for-”</p><p class="">“It’s alright. It’s ok now.”</p><p class="">After that, we went back to being friends like nothing happened, which Tomoya commented about. It’s that bond that you have with someone else that instantly connects you to them, like the universe wanted you 2 to stick together. It’s like when Sunohara and Tomoya both got injured one day, with them just staring at each other and laughing, becoming best friends from that one instant.</p><p class="">Sai was immediately expelled from the school with no hesitation, but I had to hold up my end of the bargain so to say. I made a request and a plea to the school that Sai have a fresh start somewhere new, like me. They said they’d look into it as days later, I was confronted by Sai, with him bowing down to me as he thanked me profusely.</p><p class="">“I. I don’t know what to say. Even after all, I did to you.”</p><p class="">My friends stood behind me as they all comforted Sai as well, with him breaking down to tears within our grasps.</p><p class="">“It’s fine.” I said. “All you need is a fresh start, like me. We all can change.”</p><p class="">Sooner or later, Sai was sent off to where my journey had started, the great country of the USA. It was me, my friends and his family waving him off at the airport as I watched himself and his suitcase follow him through the gates of the departure section of the airport.</p><p class="">I must admit, his father has been looking brighter and brighter each day. When I walk into his office, I can just see an emission of happiness radiate from him, the same way it does for his son. His face has been looking less down, his attitude has been kinder and kinder, and the student’s at our school respect him even more now.</p><p class="">Erito however, compared to his father, definitely out-classes him. He walks with a pep in his step every time I see him, with a bright smile and look on his face. The whole vibe he gives out is one of brightness and happiness, as it basically oozes out of him. It was to, absolutely everyone’s surprise, when he finally did it. It’s like I can remember it from the back of my head!</p><p class="">“Hey Natsuki, do you remember when Erito asked out Monika?”</p><p class="">“When…?” Natsuki pondered for a moment as she quickly laughed, pounding the table along with choking up rice and fish in the process.</p><p class="">“YES! OH MY GOD!”</p><p class="">She pointed to her neatly placed phone from in between us as I looked.</p><p class="">“It’s like, with Krillin and Android 18!”</p><p class="">“Well.. sorta.” I responded back with.</p><p class="">It was around a few days after we all got back to school. Every class Erito had with Monika, he basically distanced himself from her and froze up whenever she got near him. Trust me, it was the funniest fucking shit, inviting Monika to talk with me during classes as Erito glared at me with a look of fear in his eyes.</p><p class="">One day, right after school, Erito told us his plan as we all agreed to not tell Monika. It was in the school courtyard after the clubs had ended as we all hid behind the bushes, with Kousei, Kaori, Watari, and Tsubaki hiding in another bush, where Erito was able to see them. Basically all the couples we knew, but the WORST instructors.</p><p class="">Me and Natsuki, who were instructed on basically watching this nightmare, tried not to burst out laughing as Kaori gave these weird “hand signs” and lip-syncs to Erito, with the rest of that gang nodding or shaking their head in the process. Tomoya, Sunohara, and Sayori wanted to prank them so badly, but I had insisted on them not to, so they just did the second best thing, which was to take pictures and record them, of course.</p><p class="">The orange sun illuminated above them, as Erito confessed his feelings personally to Monika, who stood there and stared at him the entire time, directly dead into his pupils. We watched them as Kyou, Ryou and Nagisa peeping out from the fence’s as to not get caught, with Tomoyo and Yuri claiming she couldn’t because they had other errands to attend to. But believe me, we all saw them watch with their faces covered through the school’s windows.</p><p class="">I’m being brutally honest here, and I don’t know how, but Erito, SOMEHOW, managed to fucking pull it off. After a few moments of talking, Erito hugged Monika as she did the same as well, with Monika giving him a peck on the cheek in the end.</p><p class="">She said, or at least, from what I heard from Erito, was that she also admired him as well. With his always cheerful nature contrasting her one of mostly seriousness, along with his willingness to put his friends in front of him, showing care for everyone around him, all that added up for Monika as I guess now, they’re officially a couple! Honestly as well, Monika does look a lot happier in class and school now that I think about it.</p><p class="">And the others? Well, let’s just say that they were as shocked as I with them dating. I mean, who knew? Kaori wanted to run over to Monika and slap her with her new violin, with everyone else just staring in shock at the result. Erito was everybody’s friend and Monika was one of if not, the most popular girls in our school, so I guess that’s one way of explaining it.</p><p class="">Speaking of people who've hung out with each other the most the past couple of days, Natsuki and I agreed on giving each other cooking and baking lessons a while back. She said that she was only going to do it once.</p><p class="">But she said that a couple of days ago now.</p><p class="">She tells me whenever she drops by, or she’ll just knock on the door with her usual get up, with her pink and white dress along with her baking tools in hand. It’s surprising actually, that she lives alone as well. But I’ve never been invited to her house, which kind of saddens me. But it doesn’t really matter, as eventually, Natsuki’s drop-by’s turned to cooking/baking lessons and an anime watch party after. She claims that Parfait Girls is better than Dragon Ball Z, which I highly disagree with, but she’s the one with a premium subscription to an anime watching website, so I do my best not to anger her.</p><p class="">Obviously, she’s still an S tier bitch, complaining about the littlest of things, finding the most niche’s opportunities to rag on me, arguing with Yuri every literature club meeting about what qualifies as “literature,” and being a total dick to everyone. But again, to be brutally honest, after the Sai incident cleared up, Natsuki has been in a much brighter and higher mood every time I see her. She’s still closed off, however.</p><p class="">“And she’s still a bitch specifically to me.” I thought to myself as I laughed inside.</p><p class="">We continued to watch Dragon Ball Z a bit more when Natsuki looked up at me.</p><p class="">“Hey, you know the festival’s coming up soon, right?”</p><p class="">I nodded back in return.</p><p class="">“Yeah, Kousei, Kaori, and I have the opening performance there. What about it?</p><p class="">Natsuki took a swig of ice tea and she put her glass down.</p><p class="">“I don’t know. It’s just, what do we do for the festival?”</p><p class="">I pondered upon that.</p><p class="">“Well… the clubs present everything in their rooms, then everyone goes out to the school’s walkway to eat various foods and such.”</p><p class="">I stopped as I shrugged.</p><p class="">“I’m not sure. I’ll have to ask Monika about it.”</p><p class="">We continued eating as Natsuki stared at me.</p><p class="">“Is something up?” She asked.</p><p class="">I blushed as I looked away, taking a few glances at her. That same, filled-up butterfly feeling was in my chest again as I finished drinking my tea, and spoke.</p><p class="">“Would you umm… like to help me make food during the festival? Like the 2 of us open up a stand on the walkway?”</p><p class="">Natsuki looked at me as her face immediately turned red, matching the color of the strawberries she was eating. She was taken aback by my request as she quickly swallowed a strawberry in her mouth.</p><p class="">“Wha-What kind of question is that?!” She asked angrily.</p><p class="">I turned away as I quickly bowed my head and apologized.</p><p class="">“I’m sorry, I know you’re busy and all with work and whatnot, along with helping the club prepare for the festival. I just thought for fun, we could you know…”</p><p class="">My head was still bowed downwards, when Natsuki spoke.</p><p class="">“Fine. For your pathetic sake, I’ll do it.”</p><p class="">She was still visibly red by my question, blushing as she sunk down. She suddenly sprang up as she pointed her chopsticks at me.</p><p class="">“But you BETTER not mess up, or you’ll make me look bad.”</p><p class="">I laughed as I thanked Natsuki, with her still embarrassed, but always being tough as usual.</p><p class="">“Psh. I don’t need your thanks, dummy. Just make sure you bring the best food you can make to the festival.”</p><p class="">I smiled as I stood up and took her dishes to the sink.</p><p class="">“You gonna help me?”</p><p class="">Natsuki scoffed.</p><p class="">“No way. You owe me and I’m using the favor.” She said as she continued watching her anime.</p><p class="">I sighed as I began scrubbing the dishes and cleaning the kitchen area. Halfway through, I felt a sudden urge in my stomach as I rushed to the bathroom to relieve myself.</p><p class="">“Oh, yeah.”</p><p class="">A sigh of comfort indicated my release as I finished after a while and washed my hands, when I dried them off to surprisingly see a clean kitchen space, along with the dishes and instruments cleaned, and drying on the rack.</p><p class="">I smiled and looked to Natsuki, who didn’t say a word and still had her eyes glued to her phone. Her dress was visibly stained with water, as I went up to her, with her throwing me a beanbag.</p><p class="">I grab it out of the air as I put it behind me and next to her as I leaned back with both of us watching Cell beat the living shit out of Vegeta. Natsuki had given me these beanbags a while ago, claiming that my house needed to have more decoration, and needed to have a theater-like place, so that watching anime can be more enjoyable.</p><p class="">Which, it already is, to begin with.</p><p class="">Essentially, in exchange for her showing me manga and anime, I had to basically give her a return in terms of shows. It’s like that unspoken thing, where if someone shows or exposes you to a really good genre or a new brand of media, that you show them something in return.</p><p class="">And, I proudly say this, showed her the gift from God that is The Office. She said that she didn’t bother and was extremely bored after Season 1, but for some reason, she uses some quotes from the later seasons-</p><p class="">I accidentally moved and kicked Natsuki’s leg softly, as she stared at me.</p><p class="">“Why are you the way that you are?”</p><p class="">And there you go.</p><p class="">I am so, showing her Star Wars next.</p><p class="">We continued to view more anime, with Natsuki and I watching intently. Our eyes were glued onto the screen, when out of nowhere Natsuki spoke.</p><p class="">“There’s something about the art styles of the olden days, that really sticks out and enhances the value of the show to a high degree. A classic like Dragon Ball Z can be enjoyed by everyone, along with the other olden shows as well. There’s just something about that nostalgia that really hit’s you hard.”</p><p class="">I looked at Natsuki with a confused look.</p><p class="">“Where… did that come from?”</p><p class="">“What do you mean?”</p><p class="">Natsuki quickly realized what she said as she quickly blushed and sunk down, twiddling her thumbs. I looked to her as I gestured at her phone.</p><p class="">“Well… I think it’s about the way it’s presented. The reason is so revered and praised, is because of what it did for its time. Back home, there were always mentions about this show, whether in Sports or in schools. It’s so good and popular, that the animation of its time really elevates it’s standing and prestige as well.”</p><p class="">Natsuki looked at me intently as her eyes widened. She smiled as she giggled and gave me a playful slap on the head.</p><p class="">“Now where did THAT come from?”</p><p class="">We both laughed as we continued watching Cell become more and more of a perfect villain, both character-wise and physically. It’s nice to see Natsuki so open about something that she’s always so closed off and defensive about. Then again, her raging passion is what I presume, fuels it.</p><p class="">The episode ended as Natsuki went to press for the next one, when she looked outside my window. The starry sky was prevalent now, as the light of the moon broke shone through into my room.</p><p class="">“Oh shit. I didn’t know I was here THAT long!”</p><p class="">Natsuki stood up and slowly took her things, as I stood up and walked her out.</p><p class="">“Do you need me to walk you home or…?”</p><p class="">Natsuki blushed.</p><p class="">“What? Of course not! I’m not weak you kno-”</p><p class="">I flinched back a bit as I raised my hands up. I then grinned smugly as I put on a pair of sandals and shut the door behind me.</p><p class="">“What’re you-”</p><p class="">“C’mon, it’s getting late.” I said with a smile.</p><p class="">Natsuki was still standing speechless behind as I began walking to her house. I heard her get cutely frustrated as she ran towards me to catch up.</p><p class="">“Grh. I still don’t know how and why you’re this stupid.”</p><p class="">I laughed as Natsuki and I walked down the streets to her house. The lights illuminated our walkway, with the starry and bright night above us. The streets were quiet, as the only sound that could be heard was the sound of our shoes on the asphalt below. Natsuki shrunk down more and more as we walked together towards her house.</p><p class="">I sighed as I stopped.</p><p class="">“Alright, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that, I’ll head back.”</p><p class="">I turned around to walk away when I felt a sudden grip on my left wrist. I looked back to see Natsuki red as a tomato, holding my body in place.</p><p class="">“It’s ok. Please don’t go.”</p><p class="">She then flinched up as she immediately let go of my hand, crossing her arms.</p><p class="">“I mean, you’re already close to my house, so there would be no point of heading back now.”</p><p class="">I looked into her pink eyes.</p><p class="">“No, it’s ok, I can ju-”</p><p class="">She then closed her eyes suddenly, as she inhaled and grabbed my wrist once more, as we both fast-walked to her house.</p><p class="">“What’re you-”</p><p class="">I was left questioning as we made it to the entrance of her house.</p><p class="">I looked at her expecting an answer, but was only met with her eyes avoiding mine as she looked away, face still blushing. We stood there for a good few moments, without any of us saying a single word. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath, as I approached her.</p><p class="">“What-”</p><p class="">I suddenly pulled Natsuki towards me, wrapping my arms around her head and body.</p><p class="">Huh? What was I doing? What were these instincts?</p><p class="">Natsuki was still left standing there with her arms in the air, still taken aback by my sudden action. My whole body basically enveloped her completely, as I still stood there hugging her. It’s like something kicked in, like a snap of one’s fingers. What did I just do? There was no going back now that’s for sure.</p><p class="">I braced for the worst possible kick to the groin, or the worse head slap in 1000 years, when I felt her small arms wrap tightly around the back of my body. A wave of calmness and relief flowed through me, as the scent of strawberries from her hair, emanated throughout the environment.</p><p class="">No word was still spoken from either of us, and we just hugged each other in the cold night. You know that butterfly feeling in your chest? Imagine that but 100 times greater right now. Her face was buried in my shirt when I heard her muffled voice.</p><p class="">“Heh… You adorable baka…”</p><p class="">We continued to hug each other, sharing our warmth with one another, when my phone suddenly vibrated and rang. I took it out of my right pocket as Natsuki and I separated our physical contact. I looked to Natsuki, who was redder than lava.</p><p class="">I unlocked my phone as I held it to my right ear.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Hello?”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Peter?”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Yeah?”</em>
</p><p class="">I heard a pause, with Nagisa yelling into the phone.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“PLEASE JOIN THE DRAMA CLUB!”</em>
</p><p class="">I flinched my head to the left as I heard some more chatter from Tomoya’s side of the line.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Hello? Peter?”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Yeah, it’s me, what’s up?</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“I was wondering if you could join the drama club.”</em>
</p><p class="">I looked to Natsuki, who looked back at me.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Drama club huh? Sounds kind of fun.”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Right?”</em>
</p><p class="">I stopped Tomoya.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“But then again, I don’t act, Tomoya.”</em>
</p><p class="">I heard a sigh from the other end.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“It’s not that, we just really need members right now. There won’t be any acting involving you, if you don’t want that.”</em>
</p><p class="">I paused as I was going to speak, when Natsuki snatched my phone from my hand.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“He-”</em>
</p><p class="">Natsuki put the phone to her ear as she smugly looked at me.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Yes! WE would love to join the drama club!”</em>
</p><p class="">I heard some cheering on the other end, as Tomoya spoke up.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Really Peter and Natsuki? Thank you so much! Meeting are on every Friday! We’ll give you more details there, Ciao!”</em>
</p><p class="">I looked at Natsuki with an annoyed face, as with a smug grin, she handed me back my phone.</p><p class="">“What was that for?”</p><p class="">Natsuki crossed her arms.</p><p class="">“For acting like a total idiot, which I guess is just to be you nowadays.”</p><p class="">She giggled as I placed my phone back into my pocket. Natsuki opened the door to her house when she quickly ran up and hugged me once more. I looked down at her as I spoke.</p><p class="">“Heh. You look kinda-”</p><p class="">Natsuki glared as she looked up at me, with her arms still around me.</p><p class="">“Say that I’m cute, and I’ll slap the fucking shit out of you.”</p><p class="">I laughed as I hugged her back. After a moment, she walked to enter her house as I pointed to her.</p><p class="">“Remember! Festival ideas!”</p><p class="">Natsuki smiled and nodded as she walked away, smugly grinning at me.</p><p class="">“And the Drama Club as well!”</p><p class="">I begrudgingly waved goodbye to Natsuki as she joyfully waved back, closing her door shortly after. I sighed as I made my way back home, and entered my house.</p><p class="">I went to the bathroom to wash and bathe myself off, drying myself, and putting on a new, plain set of clothes. I start getting some work done, as the hour’s passed by. Catching up on work is shitty enough, but catching up on A LOT of work, is what really hits hard.</p><p class="">I finished getting my work done for the day, as I flopped into my comfortable, white bed. I pulled the sheets under me, as I covered my body with the soft fabric of the blanket.</p><p class="">Tomorrow’s a Monday. Mundane Mondays I like to call it, or that’s what Monika taught me to call that signature day.</p><p class="">I laughed a bit to myself at that thought.</p><p class="">So much has happened since my time here, and I can’t help but feel grateful for all of it.</p><p class="">The good.</p><p class="">The bad.</p><p class="">And of course, all the ugliness.</p><p class="">I turned over to face the ceiling on top of me. I put two of my hands behind my head, thinking to myself.</p><p class="">I know, it’s stupid, but God Damn! If there’s one thing I learned here, it’s got to be the realest thing. With what just happened with Natsuki?</p><p class="">It’s that the power of affection really changes you.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Chapter 13: Doki-Doki Bonds</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class=""><em class=""><strong class="">Feature: Italics</strong></em> <strong class="">mean speaking in Japanese.</strong></p><p class=""> </p><p class="">
  <strong class="">Chapter 13: Doki-Doki Bonds</strong>
</p><p class="">With the finishing sounds of Kaori’s serenading violin, and with Kousei’s piano keys, the bell rang as the music teacher clapped for us. The 2 of them bowed, with me still standing upwards when a hand was smacked on the back of my head, followed with me bowing immediately.</p><p class="">To be frank, I’m still getting used to the customs of this country.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Well done!” The music teacher said as he continued clapping. “I can’t wait to hear from you all during the festival!”</em>
</p><p class="">We all bowed once again as we thanked the teacher and packed our things.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Say, don’t you think we sounded awesome?!”</em> Kaori perked up.</p><p class="">I laughed as I finished putting back the microphone.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“I guess you could say that. Still kind of a weird song choice though.”</em>
</p><p class="">I looked down at the paper.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Kirameki by Wacci?”</em>
</p><p class="">I looked at both of them as they looked back at me.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Let’s just say… It's a personal favorite.”</em> Kousei said.</p><p class="">I nodded as I continued.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“What about your violin? Is everything ok with it?”</em>
</p><p class="">Kaori nodded as she smiled.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Of course! After what happened to my last one, my parents decided to buy me an even more expensive one, which I objected to. But they insisted so I just went along with it.”</em>
</p><p class="">She put her arms in the air in a cheering motion.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Win-win!”</em>
</p><p class="">Kousei and I laughed as we gathered our school items. We carried them as we wished goodbye to our music teacher, opening the door to the classroom exit.</p><p class="">The same yellow sun shone through the school halls, as it bustled with students of all ages and grades. The sounds of talking and footsteps filled the atmosphere, along with the hasty preparations of the festival. I headed to my locker as I saw Erito there waiting.</p><p class="">“Jesus, why do you always take so long?” He said as he pouted.</p><p class="">I shrugged.</p><p class="">“You don’t have to wait for me you know. You got a girlfriend and what-not.”</p><p class="">He looked at me smugly.</p><p class="">“Jealous…?”</p><p class="">I shook my head.</p><p class="">“Nah, love is a scam.”</p><p class="">We both laughed as I arranged my belongings and shut my locker. Fortunately for my brain and body, lunchtime rolled around so I could take a whole mental break from school. I looked at Erito, who had nothing with him at all.</p><p class="">“Where’s your lunch? If you don’t have any, I could give you some of mine.” I asked as I waved my XL-sized lunchbox.</p><p class="">He looked down at it as he looked up to me shortly after.</p><p class="">“Nah, I don’t bring lunches to school anymore. Monika insisted on making my lunch, even though I told her not to, but she still heavily wanted to anyway, so I went along with it.”</p><p class="">Lucky bastard.</p><p class="">We both walked down the school halls to the cafeteria, when we spotted Tomoya at the end of the hallway. He looked at us with a smile as he waved his hands for us to come to him.</p><p class="">“What’s that all about?” Erito asked as he leaned to me.</p><p class="">“Not sure...” I responded with. “I wonder what Tomoya’s up to now.”</p><p class="">We both walked up to Tomoya, as a purple-haired girl hid behind him.</p><p class="">“Yuri?” I said as I looked to the side. “Is that you?”</p><p class="">She got visibly spooked as she hid behind him more, as Tomoya sighed.</p><p class="">“Come on, you’re not going to make any friends if you continue to do that.”</p><p class="">Erito and I were both visibly confused, when the girl stood up from behind Tomoya.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Umm… hello…”</em>
</p><p class="">The girl was 5’3”. She had straight indigo hair that had an odd length of short and long, with strands of hair that completely covered her ears, and bangs parted in the middle. The short part of her hair’s framing was divided into two sections, and tied into two small horsetails with two large pink beads.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Go on, introduce yourself.”</em>
</p><p class="">She walked up as she bowed, introducing herself in a completely robotic tone.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Hello, my name is Kotomi Ichinose. It’s nice to meet you.”</em>
</p><p class="">I smiled as I responded.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“It’s nice to meet y-”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“I like many things. For example, I like to play the violin. Another thing I like is to study. I study a lot actually, which takes up most of my time during the day. I also like to research new and interesting things.”</em>
</p><p class="">Kotomi continued with the same monotonic tone as Erito looked at me, with me nodding back.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“It’s ok. I got this.”</em>
</p><p class="">Erito slowly backed away and left with Tomoya facepalming himself, as he shook Kotomi.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“No! That’s not how you’re supposed to do it!”</em>
</p><p class="">Kotomi stood up slowly with a blank stare, as she looked at Tomoya then me.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Oh, sorry let me go again. Hello, my name is-”</em>
</p><p class="">I stood there speechless as Tomoya shrugged at me. I went up to her as I offered my hand.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Hello, Kotomi. My name is Peter! It’s nice to meet you.”</em>
</p><p class="">She looked up with the same blank stare as she looked and whispered to Tomoya.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“What… what should I do?”</em>
</p><p class="">I was left mind-boggled as my hand was still extended to her. She finished talking to Tomoya, as she shook my hand.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“It’s nice to meet you too.”</em>
</p><p class="">A slight wave of relief washed over me as I exhaled slowly. I looked to Tomoya with the same confusion, as he ushered for me to follow him.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Kotomi, how about you go to the drama room? I’ll meet you there.”</em>
</p><p class="">Kotomi nodded as she walked away in the opposite direction, as Tomoya pulled me closer to him.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“What’s her deal? What did you do?” I asked him.</em>
</p><p class="">I glared into his eyes.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Did you touch her or something?”</em>
</p><p class="">Tomoya looked at me with a jaw-dropping face as he responded angrily.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“What?! I didn’t touch her!”</em>
</p><p class="">I pointed to her.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Then what’s her deal?”</em>
</p><p class="">Tomoya cleared his throat.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“She’s… really anti-social. Turns out she used to be my childhood friend, who after the death of her parents, closed herself off from society.”</em>
</p><p class="">I looked back at him.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“I’m… so sorry to hear that.”</em>
</p><p class="">He looked back with a reassuring look.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Thanks, but it’s all solved and better now. That problem is solved now. The new one is that, She’s way better off than before, so I need to keep her in the right direction.”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Of being not anti-social?”</em>
</p><p class="">Tomoya nodded.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Yes! Exactly!”</em>
</p><p class="">I looked at him.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“What do you need from me then?”</em>
</p><p class="">He looked up as he thought.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Well… I need you to find other people that could join the drama club, or at least be her friend.”</em>
</p><p class="">Be her friend huh…?</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Alright. I got the perfect people, just leave it to me.”</em>
</p><p class="">Tomoya smiled.</p><p class="">“Great! I’ll see you then!”</p><p class="">I saw Tomoya rush off to the lunchroom, as I still stood perplexed.</p><p class="">“Great friends for a heavy introvert with her likes huh? I think I know who to go to!” I thought to myself proudly.</p><p class="">I rushed off after, as I entered the lunchroom. I looked around to see the person I was looking for. I walked up behind her as her friends stared at me, as I quickly put a finger onto my lips as I shushed them. Her face was buried in her story as I whispered in her ear behind her.</p><p class="">“Yuri.”</p><p class="">Her face was still buried in her story.</p><p class="">“Yuri.”</p><p class="">My efforts were to no avail, as I cleared my throat and looked to Monika, Sayori and Natsuki, who were confused about what I was doing.</p><p class="">“YURI!”</p><p class="">I heard a scream of fright as Yuri grabbed her book at immense speeds and smacked me right across the face with it. I grabbed it in pain as Yuri looked behind as she covered her mouth.</p><p class="">“Oh my God! I’m so sorry!”</p><p class="">I looked to Natsuki who just smugly grinned at my injury. She offered to help me up along with Yuri as I spoke.</p><p class="">“It’s alright. I got a bit of a surprise for you waiting.” I said as I winked.</p><p class="">“Surprise? What are you talking about?”</p><p class="">I motioned for Yuri to follow me, as we both exited the cafeteria, with Natsuki looking at me with a confused face.</p><p class="">“Trust me. It’ll be good!” I whispered back to her.</p><p class="">Natsuki looked back with an annoyed face as she went back to talking with her friends. Yuri and I made it to the entrance of the drama club’s room, as we opened the door.</p><p class="">“Wow. What is this?” I said to myself.</p><p class="">The room was quite empty and abandoned, only with a table and 2 chairs occupying the center of it, with Kotomi and Nagisa having lunch together.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Hello, Peter!”</em> Nagisa said as she got up. <em class="">“Is this a new member?”</em></p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Uhh… I don’t know yet. I brought her here to meet Kotomi.”</em>
</p><p class="">Nagisa frowned, then smiled as she walked over to Yuri and whispered into her ear.</p><p class="">“Trust me, just try your best.”</p><p class="">I walked Yuri over to Kotomi, as Kotomi bowed.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Hello. My name is Kotomi Ichinose. What is yours?”</em>
</p><p class="">Well, at least she’s gotten a bit better.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“My name is Yuri. It’s nice to meet you.”</em>
</p><p class="">They both shook hands, as Yuri looked back at me.</p><p class="">“What is the surprise?” She asked me.</p><p class="">I motioned with my head in front of her.</p><p class="">“Right there. There’s your surprise.” I responded back with.</p><p class="">Yuri blushed back as she twirled her hair between her fingers.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“What… Do you like to do?”</em>
</p><p class="">I looked to Kotomi with surprise, as Nagisa pumped her fist with excitement.</p><p class=""><em class="">“I uhh… I like to read.”</em> Yuri responded nervously.</p><p class="">Kotomi’s face brightened up.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Yes, reading is fun.”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“It sure is.”</em>
</p><p class="">Kotomi looked back as she pointed to her bag, which had a stuffed teddy-bear hanging from it I noticed.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Want to see what I’ve been reading?”</em> She asked as she reached within her bag, and pulled out the Portrait of Markov.</p><p class="">Yuri’s face brightened with that revelation, as she smiled and nodded.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“I would love to.”</em>
</p><p class="">The pair walked to the desk, as Yuri pulled a chair and sat next to Kotomi, who began talking about her book. Nagisa looked at me as she pointed to Yuri.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“I raised that child.”</em>
</p><p class="">I nodded.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“And so you did. A fine job as well.”</em>
</p><p class="">I looked around the empty room.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“So this is the drama club?”</em>
</p><p class="">Nagisa shook her head as she frowned.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“It was. What with everything and what-not.”</em>
</p><p class="">I looked at her.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“What’re you talking about.”</em>
</p><p class="">Nagisa looked at me.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“We have enough members for the club to begin, but we need an advisor. Sadly, no advisor is available to monitor us, so the club cannot start. We tried to ask everyone, including Mr. Toshio, but he’s already the one for the choir club.”</em>
</p><p class="">Nagisa looked down.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“After that, we tried to share Mr. Toshio from the choir club, but ended up with this.”</em>
</p><p class="">Nagisa handed me a piece of paper, as I read the threatening letter.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Wow. The choir club is backing down.”</em>
</p><p class="">Nagisa nodded.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Yeah, so without an advisor, we can’t start the club.”</em>
</p><p class="">Nagisa then looked at me excitedly.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“But, Tomoya and Sunohara have been trying and looking really hard to find any alternatives, so I believe we can do it!”</em>
</p><p class="">I smiled back at her as I placed my hand on her shoulder.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“It’s alright. We’ll find a way.”</em>
</p><p class="">We both smiled as we looked to see Yuri and Kotomi hit it off, with their loves and interests combining like chocolate and peanut butter.</p><p class="">…</p><p class="">Some time had passed during the day, as I sat on a tree’s branch. The tree stood in the middle of the school’s grassy field, as the breeze blew and rustled it’s contents. The smoothness of my surroundings really helped me to unwind from all the other stresses of life, as the music in my earbuds played a harmonic melody.</p><p class="">Natsuki sat below me on the grassy floor, leaning against the tree’s trunk as well. I showed her this spot one day, after she tried to find the right sort of “vibe” to read her manga in peace.</p><p class="">Sooner or later, it kind of became our resting-place. A happy place.</p><p class="">Natsuki offered me a strawberry-covered pocky stick as I took it with gratitude and thanked her. My eyes were closed as my body leaned against the tree’s trunk, chewing on the delicious snack with the green leaves above me providing much-needed shade. I crossed my arms along my chest with my breathing calming my entire body, providing me as well with some much-needed peace.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Peter.”</em>
</p><p class="">I continued to listen to the music.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Peter!”</em>
</p><p class="">I looked to my right, when I was suddenly pelted by a rock to my forehead.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Agh! What the fuck?!”</em>
</p><p class="">I grabbed my forehead in pain, as Tomoya smacked Sunohara across the head.</p><p class=""><em class="">“What were you thinking?!”</em> He asked angrily.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Sorry… he was just really distracted!”</em> Sunohara protested as he apologized.</p><p class="">I made my way down the tree as Sunohara piped up.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“You’ve… played basketball right?”</em>
</p><p class="">I nodded.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Yeah, still do. What of it?”</em>
</p><p class="">Tomoya spoke up.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Well… we already have 3 players, me, Sunohara and Kyou. We asked you because we needed a substitute player in case anything happens, want to join?”</em>
</p><p class="">My face beamed at the opportunity of playing any sport nowadays.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Sure! Just one quick question though, what is this for?”</em>
</p><p class="">Tomoya wanted to speak but Sunohara cut him off.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Well you see, thanks to my genius,”</em>
</p><p class=""><em class="">“Yukine’s genius…”</em> Tomoya muttered.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Again, my genius, we came up with a plan to challenge the basketball team to a game, for an advisor. I’m pretty sure you know by now that the choir club won’t give us their advisor, but we’re gonna invite them to the game to show how badly we want our club to happen!”</em>
</p><p class="">I paused for a moment.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“That sounds…”</em>
</p><p class="">Sunohara looked at me.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Incredibly stupid.”</em>
</p><p class="">Sunohara groaned as Tomoya gestured to me.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“See? What did I tell you?”</em>
</p><p class="">I cut him off short, however.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“But, I’ll do it. I’ve seen the look in Nagisa’s eyes about how bad she wants it to happen.”</em>
</p><p class="">They both beamed a smile as he gave me a noogie.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“You’re the best, you know that?”</em>
</p><p class="">We all laughed as they walked away, pointing to me.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“The game’s tomorrow, see you there!”</em>
</p><p class="">I waved back at them as I finished and looked back at Natsuki.</p><p class="">“Don’t. Don’t even try it, <em class="">baka</em>.” She said menacingly as looked up from her manga.</p><p class="">I laughed a bit to myself as I climbed back up the tree, with Natsuki offering me her pocky stick from below.</p><p class="">“You gonna watch?”</p><p class="">Natsuki nodded.</p><p class="">“Well, yeah! I need to support Kyou!”</p><p class="">She looked up.</p><p class="">“And to watch you morons lose, of course.”</p><p class="">“Ha. Ha. Very funny, Nat.”</p><p class="">She looked straight into my eyes.</p><p class="">“What?”</p><p class="">I stared at her back as I smiled.</p><p class="">“What do you mea-”</p><p class="">I looked up.</p><p class="">“Ohhh…”</p><p class="">I leaned down from the tree branch.</p><p class="">“Well, I think it’s a good nick-name for you, you know. Nat. Natsuki’s a bit long for me to say, and Suki’s another girl’s name in this school already, so I just thought of Nat, you know? Your own exclusive nick-name.”</p><p class="">Natsuki began to blush and redden as she sunk down into her body. I looked at her as I remarked.</p><p class="">“You ok? You seem a bit red and hot.” I said as I pulled out a handkerchief. “I mean, considering the hot climate and all.”</p><p class="">I jokingly leaned it to her as she looked up.</p><p class="">“It’s alright, I’m fine.”</p><p class="">She grinned as looked at me.</p><p class="">“Pete.”</p><p class="">I flinched back as Natsuki continued.</p><p class="">“Come to think of it, it’s a pretty good nick-name you know. Pete. Peter’s just a tad bit too long for me to say, and just P would mean I’m going to the bathroom, so I just thought of Pete you know? Your own exclusive nick-name.”</p><p class="">Natsuki laughed as I smiled and looked up.</p><p class="">“Well, that is kind of a cute nickname. Pete.”</p><p class="">I laughed as I looked down, when I saw Natsuki grab a magazine from her manga box as she rolled into a tube. She looked up at me as I jumped down from the branch, fearing for my life.</p><p class="">“What?! I didn’t say YOU were cute!” I said laughingly.</p><p class="">Oh, wait. Shit, that came out wrong.</p><p class="">Natsuki glared at me as she chased and ran towards me at immense speeds, almost catching up to me at certain moments as she swung the rolled-up magazine like a baseball bat, and me being a baseball.</p><p class="">“Come back here, PETE!” Natsuki said menacingly.</p><p class="">I yelped at that name as I evaded her attacks, dodging her every swing as she continued to try to hit me. I ran around the back of the school, as I hid in a bush. I looked at Natsuki walk around the field close to where I was.</p><p class="">“Oh, Peter… come out… I just want you to play with me.”</p><p class="">I bit my fingernails with fear instilled me in as I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath to compose myself.</p><p class="">“Alright. I just gotta go around the school, to my things, and run.”</p><p class="">I opened my eyes, to see Natsuki’s face right up to mine.</p><p class="">“Found ya, you baka cutie pie.”</p><p class="">I screamed in terror as Natsuki whacked me across the head with her rolled-up magazine, assaulting me with each attack as I attempted to protect my body from shame.</p><p class="">“SAY IT!”</p><p class="">“You’re… cute?”</p><p class="">I felt a greater whack across my thigh.</p><p class="">“OK! YOU’RE NOT CUTE!”</p><p class="">I looked up to see her tower over me, like a mother dog scolding its puppies.</p><p class="">“Bitch, I’m adorable.”</p><p class="">We stared at each other, saying nothing as the breeze blew past us. Our mouths suddenly quivered, as we broke out into laughing stocks. We laughed and laughed as I grabbed my head, feeling my whole body move against the blades of grass.</p><p class="">“Bitch, I’m adorable?!” I said while laughing.</p><p class="">Natsuki put her hands in the air as she bent down, holding her stomach from laughter.</p><p class="">“I- I don’t know?! It just came into my mind, ok?!” She responded with as she giggled as well.</p><p class="">After a whole long while of howling and laughter, Natsuki laid down next to me.</p><p class="">“It’s from Team Four Star. We’ll watch it sometime later.”</p><p class="">I smiled as a moment passed, when Natsuki spoke.</p><p class="">“Say, what do you think we should do for the festival?”</p><p class="">I looked at her, not saying a word as she continued.</p><p class="">“You know, like I could make cupcakes along with a couple of assortment of pastries, and you could do whatever you want, like a small, individual salmon dish. Maybe go all out and buy some caviar, who knows?”</p><p class="">I spoke up.</p><p class="">“Well, I’m not sure. I thought you didn’t really want to do it. You did seem kinda mad when I asked you that day.”</p><p class="">Natsuki looked at me, then blushed as she looked away.</p><p class="">“Well, I just want to do it ok? Besides, where would you be without me during the festival? It’s like I’ve gotta babysit you every time.”</p><p class="">I laughed as I spoke.</p><p class="">“Well, it’s not like I’m complaining or anything. I kinda like you quote-on-quote "babysitting" me." I responded with a smug grin.</p><p class="">The same bubbly feeling grew inside of me as I spoke those words. Natsuki was left speechless and embarrassed even more now, as I stood up.</p><p class="">“I was thinking the same thing, kind of like a fancy, but finger-food like dish.”</p><p class="">Natsuki continued to just stare at me as I took her hand, lifting her up.</p><p class="">“Well…? Are you just going to stand there and miss class?” I asked while laughing.</p><p class="">Natsuki shook and flinched as her face was piping red. She was cutely frustrated as she pointed at me furiously.</p><p class="">“I was thinking dummy! Now you threw me off!”</p><p class="">I laughed as I bowed mockingly.</p><p class="">“A THOUSAND apologies.”</p><p class="">She was still blushing by the time we got to the tree to gather our things. The school bell rang as we made our way back towards the building.</p><p class="">“I was thinking, maybe an anime-themed stall. Have foods and desserts from all different kinds of shows.”</p><p class="">I looked at her.</p><p class="">“That’s… actually pretty interesting.”</p><p class="">She beamed a smile.</p><p class="">“Yeah?”</p><p class="">She gave me a little punch to my arm as she crossed her arms.</p><p class="">“See? Where would you be without my babysitting if the festival rolled around?”</p><p class="">I looked at her, then up as we made our way to class. The same feeling arose in me as I looked down at her pink eyes.</p><p class="">“Lost. Hopeless. Probably drowning in my own sorrows of self-doubt.”</p><p class="">Natsuki laughed with a blush as she opened the door, muttering to herself quietly as we both walked into Chemistry class.</p><p class="">“Same, Peter. Same for me.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Chapter 14: Somatic Spiritual Matches</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class=""><em class=""><strong class="">Feature: Italics</strong></em> <strong class="">mean speaking in Japanese.</strong></p><p class=""> </p><p class="">
  <strong class="">Chapter 14: Somatic Spiritual Matches</strong>
</p><p class="">
  <em>“Alright! Let’s do this!”</em>
</p><p class="">Kyou said these words as she screamed with pumped-up energy.</p><p class=""><em>“You’re oddly excited.”</em> Tomoya said.</p><p class=""><em>“Well…”</em> Nagisa began. <em>“The basketball members apparently said something rude.”</em></p><p class="">Kyou put her fist up angrily.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Of course! Right, You’ve stooped to a new low. So low, that you hang out with those losers.”</em>
</p><p class="">Kyou angrily looked at me as I flinched back a bit.</p><p class="">
  <em>“PETER, will it be a foul if I throw a ball into their faces?”</em>
</p><p class="">I looked at Kyou’s rage-filled face.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Uhh… yeah. You’ll definitely get booked with a flagrant or a technical.”</em>
</p><p class="">Kotomi walked up to me as she spoke.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Kyou-chan’s really intense.”</em>
</p><p class="">Sunohara and Tomoya nodded.</p><p class=""><em>“If we lose, there’s no telling what she’ll do.” </em>Tomoya said.</p><p class=""><em>“Yeah, maybe we picked the wrong person.”</em> Sunohara added.</p><p class="">Nagisa walked up to Tomoya.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Don’t get hurt okay?”</em>
</p><p class="">Tomoya nodded.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Don’t worry, leave it to us!”</em>
</p><p class="">I smiled as Natsuki tapped me on the shoulder.</p><p class="">“Hmm?”</p><p class="">Natsuki looked at the opponents, then at me.</p><p class="">“Why aren’t you playing?”</p><p class="">I chuckled.</p><p class="">“I’m just a sub. Besides, we’ll be fine.”</p><p class="">I looked around, then up as I saw Kaori and Kousei, along with the entire literature club. They waved to me happily as I waved back.</p><p class="">“Eh? Why’re they here?”</p><p class="">I looked to Natsuki, who grinned.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Oh, I didn’t want to be the only one who wanted to watch you fail so I invited our friends.”</em>
</p><p class="">I looked with an annoyed face as I sighed. Natsuki smiled as she put her hand on my shoulder.</p><p class="">“But seriously though, destroy these fools.”</p><p class="">Natsuki and I nodded as our team went onto the court. We were met with 3 other opposing kids standing face-to-face with us.</p><p class=""><em>“Wait… aren’t you all first years? I’ve seen you in my classes!”</em> I said.</p><p class="">A person about my height carried a ball as he stepped in between us.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Of course. You guys can’t deal with the regulars.”</em>
</p><p class="">He looked at me.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Why is there a 4th person? I thought we agreed on a 3-on-3.”</em>
</p><p class="">He looked to Tomoya who responded.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Don’t worry, he’s just a sub.”</em>
</p><p class="">I chuckled.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Besides, I’m not good anyways. You guys will probably crush me.”</em>
</p><p class="">I felt sheepish saying that.</p><p class="">The person with the ball nodded as he began.</p><p class="">
  <em>“This match will be a 3-on-3. 20 minutes. No timeouts as well.”</em>
</p><p class=""><em>“You sure you’re ok with this? If your coach finds out, won’t he be mad?”</em> Tomoya asked.</p><p class="">The person looked at him.</p><p class="">
  <em>“If the coach finds out, it will be you who gets in trouble.”</em>
</p><p class="">Tomoya responded with nothing as everyone shook hands. I stepped off the court to watch the match when I heard someone speak.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Umm… Nagisa-san?”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em>“Yes, what is it?”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em>“Is it okay for me to be here?”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em>“It’ll be fine. Since everyone’s attention is focused on the court, they won’t pay any attention to us so it’ll be ok.”</em>
</p><p class="">I looked to my left to see a girl with dark hair and pigtails along with a blue jacket talking with Nagisa. I slipped behind her as I sheepishly grinned.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Hey.”</em>
</p><p class="">The girl flinched as she looked back startled, as I did the same.</p><p class=""><em>“You! You’re were the one at the airport!”</em> She said as she pointed to me.</p><p class="">I pointed back to her.</p><p class="">
  <em>“And you too! What are you doing here?!”</em>
</p><p class=""><em>“What about you?!”</em> She asked.</p><p class=""><em>“What about you?!”</em> I fired back.</p><p class="">Ryou, Kotomi, and Nagisa began to laugh as I laughed a bit as well, putting my hands to my side.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Wow. I didn’t imagine meeting you here. You’re Sunohara’s sister right?”</em>
</p><p class="">She nodded.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Yes, I’m Mei Sunohara. It’s a pleasure to meet you formally.”</em>
</p><p class="">I shook her hand as Nagisa looked up to the court.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Looks like the game is about to start.”</em>
</p><p class="">TWEET!</p><p class="">With a blow of a whistle, the match began. Tomoya received the ball as he quickly blew past his defender.</p><p class="">“Wow… he’s fast!”</p><p class="">Tomoya looked as he shouted.</p><p class="">“Sunohara!”</p><p class="">Tomoya passed the ball to Sunohara as I stood confused.</p><p class=""><em>“He had the open shot…”</em> I muttered. <em>“Why won’t he take it?”</em></p><p class="">Nagisa looked at me, then down sadly.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Because he can’t shoot.”</em>
</p><p class="">I looked back at her.</p><p class="">
  <em>“What? What do you mean he can’t shoot?”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em>“Well… A few years ago, he got into a fight with his dad, and his shoulder was damaged. It never recovered after that, and he can’t lift his right arm up.”</em>
</p><p class="">I looked with a sour face towards the court.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Damn it.”</em>
</p><p class="">Sunohara looked around as he passed to Kyou, who shot a 3-pointer and scored. All of us cheered as I stood amazed.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Huh… looks like we can do this.”</em>
</p><p class="">The match resumed as Kyou passed the ball to her opposition. She quickly locked him up as he complained.</p><p class="">
  <em>“I-I can’t lose her!”</em>
</p><p class="">The ball was stripped away from his hands as it was passed to Sunohara who easily scored from close to the rim.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Yahoo! I did it! I scored!”</em>
</p><p class="">Only I was cheering for Sunohara as he looked with an annoyed face. I laughed some more as the match continued.</p><p class="">I watched intently at the game as Sunohara caught the ball mid-air.</p><p class=""><em>“He’s wide open!</em>” I said.</p><p class="">Sunohara landed and immediately zoomed to the basket, when he stepped on an opponent's foot, twisting his ankle. He fell down with a hard THUD as he slammed against the floor.</p><p class="">
  <em>“GRRH! DAMN IT!”</em>
</p><p class="">He grabbed his foot in pain as the match stopped. We all crowded around him as I spoke.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Sunohara! You ok?”</em>
</p><p class="">He shook his head as he grabbed his right ankle. Natsuki moved me out of the way as she stood in the center.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Alright, everyone back up from him, give him his space.”</em>
</p><p class="">We all stood startled as she spoke.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Everyone back up, NOW!”</em>
</p><p class="">We all nodded as we moved away from Sunohara. Natsuki moved around Sunohara’s foot, observing it.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Fortunately, it’s a sprained ankle. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to play with it.”</em>
</p><p class="">Sunohara nodded as I stood amazed.</p><p class=""><em>“Wow… how did she know?”</em> Tomoya asked me.</p><p class="">Natsuki smiled, then looked down sadly.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Trust me, I just do. From experience.”</em>
</p><p class="">We all nodded and helped Sunohara off the court as he shook hands with his opponent. Seeing my friend get hurt like that, it allowed me to go 100% against these adversaries.</p><p class=""><em>“Alright Peter, looks like you’re on.”</em> Tomoya said as he breathed heavily.</p><p class="">I nodded as I cracked my fingers and quickly stretched and warmed-up.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Game on.”</em>
</p><p class="">The ball started at the top of the key as I received it. I stared into my opponent’s eyes as I quickly jumped up and shot, sinking a 3. Everyone on my team cheered as Tomoya smiled at me.</p><p class=""><em>“Alright, Peter! Beat their asses!”</em> Sunohara yelled from the sideline.</p><p class="">The match began again as Tomoya stripped the ball from his defender. I called for the ball as he passed it to me.</p><p class="">“Peter!”</p><p class="">I grabbed it as I faked a shot, leaving my defender jumping for joy as I blew past him and sunk an easy mid-range. I smiled as the invigorating adrenaline of a basketball match kicked in.</p><p class="">With another blow of the whistle, Tomoya received the ball at the top of the key. I called for a screen as I screened his defender, with Tomoya blowing past him. I rolled back to the top of the key as the ball was passed to me.</p><p class="">“Damn it!”</p><p class="">Tomoya’s defender along with mine double-teamed me as I guarded the ball. The raised their hands up as I swiftly thought.</p><p class="">“What would Kobe do… what would Kobe do…”</p><p class="">I looked to Natsuki who stared back at me. Everyone was watching me, and I was not going to fail now. I was gonna be like Kobe.</p><p class=""><em>“Over here!”</em> Kyou called out.</p><p class="">I looked at my defenders as I leaned back into a fadeaway and shot the ball from a 3-pointer range. I fell back onto the floor as everyone looked at the orange sphere fly in the air, sinking cleanly into the net.</p><p class="">
  <em>“How-How did he-”</em>
</p><p class="">I smiled as Tomoya along with Kyou helped me. Everyone in the stadium cheered with awe as Kyou looked at Tomoya.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Why didn’t we start him?! The new plan, just pass to Peter!”</em>
</p><p class="">Tomoya and I laughed as I stopped to check the scoreboard.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Looks like we’re winning 14-4.”</em>
</p><p class="">I smiled as my head perked up to the person talking.</p><p class="">
  <em>“All first years off the court.”</em>
</p><p class="">I looked back to see 3 other people, obviously from the looks of them, much better than the previous opponents.”</p><p class=""><em>“Finally, the regulars have appeared.”</em> Tomoya said.</p><p class="">The game began once more as I passed to my opponent, who was the person talking at the beginning of the match. We looked into each other’s eyes as I got into my defending position.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Heh.”</em>
</p><p class="">He quickly blew past me as I was left startled, he spun around Kyou as he swiftly made a lay-up. We all stood with our mouths open as I smirked.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Looks like it’s going to be a match.”</em>
</p><p class="">The match began once more as I was given the ball. I blew past my defender as I covered the ball swiftly making a lay-up.</p><p class="">The match restarted as I passed the ball to my opponent. He quickly went to his right, trying to body me when I retaliated, defended him and stopping him. He passed the ball quickly to his teammate as he cut away from me, leaving me in the dust. Tomoya rotated to stop him as he made a no-look pass to his teammate, who sunk a 3-pointer.</p><p class=""><em>“I guess they can’t beat the experts, huh.”</em> A spectator from above commented.</p><p class="">My blood boiled as I smiled.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Alright. Time to make the donuts.”</em>
</p><p class="">The match restarted as I was given the ball. I breathed in and out as I readied my legs for what’s next to come. I faked and jab-stepped as I swiftly passed it to Kyou. I cut from behind my defender as Tomoya was open, with the ball passed to him.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Up, up!”</em>
</p><p class="">I motioned with a finger pointed towards the sky as Tomoya looked at me confusingly, then passed the ball towards the basket as I leaped into the air.</p><p class="">
  <em>“HUT!”</em>
</p><p class="">Everyone watched as I grabbed the orange ball mid-air, slamming it into the basket as the sound rang throughout the entire arena. I did a pull up with the rim as I let go, staring at my baffled-defender.</p><p class="">
  <em>“2 points.”</em>
</p><p class="">Everyone looked at me with an amazed look as I just smiled.</p><p class="">No wonder I felt sheepish saying that I was bad.</p><p class="">Tomoya just laughed as he hit me on the back of the head.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Why were you hiding that?”</em>
</p><p class="">I laughed.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Because now the regulars have appeared.”</em>
</p><p class="">I looked to my right as I saw Natsuki with a surprised face, along with the others cheering as well. I pointed to Erito as he just laughed.</p><p class="">The regulars got into a huddle as they spoke and nodded. I defended my opponent correctly as I stole the ball away from him when I was trapped.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Damn!”</em>
</p><p class="">I passed the ball to Tomoya as he shot it, but was contested and missed. The ball was grabbed strongly as the opponent went outside, and swiftly scored.</p><p class=""><em>“They’ve taken the lead!”</em> Mei called out.</p><p class="">The regulars were, in short, dominating us.</p><p class="">Basket.</p><p class="">After.</p><p class="">Basket.</p><p class="">Every swish for the next 5 minutes, was theirs.</p><p class=""><em>“Damn it. They’re just too good!”</em> Tomoya said.</p><p class="">Kyou slapped a panting Tomoya.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Come on, what happened to your confidence?”</em>
</p><p class="">Tomoya looked up.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Regulars happened!”</em>
</p><p class="">I patted Tomoya’s shoulder as I motioned for him.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Come on, we still have a game to play.”</em>
</p><p class="">The match began again as I heard Mei ask Nagisa.</p><p class="">
  <em>“How much time is left?”</em>
</p><p class="">Nagisa looked at her stopwatch, as she was shocked.</p><p class="">
  <em>“30 seconds left!”</em>
</p><p class="">The ticking of the clock began as I looked at the scoreboard.</p><p class=""><em>“24-23.”</em> I muttered.</p><p class="">My opponent faked a shot as I jumped a bit, which he took to his advantage. He swiftly dribbled through as he called out.</p><p class="">
  <em>“You should stay focused freshie!”</em>
</p><p class="">I gritted my teeth as he was left wide open for a lay-up.</p><p class=""><em>“The breakaway basket!”</em> Ryou said.</p><p class="">I ran back towards him at immense speeds as I jumped.</p><p class="">
  <em>“NOT TODAY!”</em>
</p><p class="">I leaped towards him as I slammed the ball against the backboard, blocking his shot with confidence as Tomoya grabbed the rebound.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Peter!”</em>
</p><p class="">I received the ball as the stadium erupted with roars. My defender looked at me with an angry face as I dribbled mid-court.</p><p class=""><em>“How much time is left?”</em> I asked Nagisa, making sure to keep the ball secure.</p><p class="">
  <em>“10 seconds!”</em>
</p><p class="">I nodded.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Time to end this.”</em>
</p><p class="">I dribbled slowly through my left, as the ticking played in my head.</p><p class="">10…</p><p class="">9…</p><p class="">8…</p><p class="">I made my move as I blew past my defender. I made it to the center as I was quickly double-teamed.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Fuck!”</em>
</p><p class="">7…</p><p class="">6…</p><p class="">I looked around quickly as I wanted to pass to an open Kyou, when my hand slipped and passed it to Tomoya.</p><p class="">
  <em>“No!”</em>
</p><p class="">Tomoya grabbed the ball as he jumped in the air.</p><p class="">5…</p><p class="">4…</p><p class="">
  <em>“No, you don’t!”</em>
</p><p class="">His defender jumped in the air, bodying Tomoya as he made his way to the floor.</p><p class="">3…</p><p class="">It was like time had stopped. My eyes were wide-open and fixated onto Tomoya. He can’t do it! He can’t lift his arm!</p><p class="">2…</p><p class="">Tomoya was left in peril, just in shock as he held the ball, when Nagisa yelled.</p><p class="">
  <em>“SHOOT IT TOMOYA!”</em>
</p><p class="">Tomoya seemed to wake up as he threw the ball with no form at the rim.</p><p class="">1…</p><p class="">Everyone looked with an anxious tone as the ball hit the bank, and into the net.</p><p class="">BEEP! BEEP!</p><p class="">The sound of the stopwatch emanated throughout the court.</p><p class="">
  <em>“UWWOOOAH!”</em>
</p><p class="">Everyone broke out in cheers as I panted heavily, with a smile on my face. I sat down on the floor as our friends came down from the spectator’s stands and congratulated all of us.</p><p class=""><em>“You guys did it! You actually did it!”</em> Kaori said ecstatically.</p><p class="">Kyou nodded.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Of course we did, thanks to him.”</em>
</p><p class="">Kyou pointed at me as I smiled.</p><p class="">
  <em>“To be fair, Tomoya made the last shot. He deserves credit as well.”</em>
</p><p class="">I fist-bumped Tomoya as he laughed.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Thanks, man. But we all know who was the man of the match.”</em>
</p><p class="">He stood up as he extended his hand towards me.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Peter Hatake. Player of the game.”</em>
</p><p class="">I laughed as I took Tomoya’s hand and lifted myself up.</p><p class=""><em>“With your dunks, shots, everything. You deserve it, man.”</em> Sunohara said.</p><p class="">I thanked him as Nagisa ran up and hugged me.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Thank you so much!”</em>
</p><p class="">I flinched back as I hugged her.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Sorry, I’m a bit sweaty.”</em>
</p><p class="">I let go of her as I checked the time.</p><p class="">
  <em>“So… what now?”</em>
</p><p class="">The bell rang throughout the court.</p><p class=""><em>“Lunchtime.”</em> Sunohara said happily.</p><p class="">Everyone cheered and left as I walked slowly, when I saw Natsuki waiting for me.</p><p class="">
  <em>“So, what’d you think? How did I do?”</em>
</p><p class="">Natsuki laughed.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Pretty good, pretty good. Could’ve done better though.”</em>
</p><p class="">I laughed.</p><p class="">
  <em>“You’re always one to make me better, aren’t you Natsuki?”</em>
</p><p class="">Natsuki blushed as she responded.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Of course, Peter. Always have, always will.”</em>
</p><p class="">We both walked together out of the gym, with our heart’s content, and our bellies hungry for more.</p><p class="">…</p><p class="">
  <em>“WHAT?!”</em>
</p><p class="">I looked at Tomoya angrily.</p><p class="">
  <em>“I know, I know, it’s stupid.”</em>
</p><p class="">I looked away as I kicked a box in frustration. It’s been a few days after the basketball match.</p><p class="">
  <em>“I worked my ass off out there, and the stupid student council won’t allow the drama club to happen?”</em>
</p><p class="">Tomoya looked at me.</p><p class="">
  <em>“It’s alright, Peter. Don’t be mad.”</em>
</p><p class="">I gritted my teeth as I clenched my fists.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Sorry. It’s just… so damn FRUSTRATING!”</em>
</p><p class="">I sighed as I motioned to him.</p><p class="">
  <em>“You’ve worked day in and day out to help get this drama club running, and nothing will happen.”</em>
</p><p class="">I crossed my arms in the empty room as I thought hard and profusely. I heard knocking on the door as I called out.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Can I…?”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em>“Yes, come in.”</em>
</p><p class="">I saw Natsuki walk into the room as she closed the door behind her. It was silent as I tried to think of a solution involving the damn student council, but everything came out blank.</p><p class=""><em>“Well… what about Tomoyo?”</em> Natsuki asked.</p><p class="">I paused as it came into my mind.</p><p class="">...</p><p class="">EUREKA!</p><p class="">
  <em>“That’s it!”</em>
</p><p class="">Tomoya looked at me.</p><p class="">
  <em>“What is it?”</em>
</p><p class="">I pointed at Natsuki.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Tomoyo! I heard she’s running for student council president! If she can make it in, she can change the rules!”</em>
</p><p class="">Tomoya smiled with relief as I looked at Natsuki.</p><p class="">
  <em>“You’re a genius! How did you?”</em>
</p><p class="">Natsuki bore a big grin on her face as she stood confidently.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Well, of course, it’s me after all.”</em>
</p><p class="">I suddenly leaned in and hugged Natsuki tightly as Tomoya just stared at us. I quickly pulled away as I scratched the back of my head.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Hehe… sorry.”</em>
</p><p class="">Natsuki was blushing as she looked at me angrily, then looked away.</p><p class=""><em>“Nobody asked you to stop, baka.”</em> She muttered.</p><p class="">I looked at Tomoya.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Speaking of which… where is she?”</em>
</p><p class="">Tomoya shrugged.</p><p class="">
  <em>“I don’t know. Last time I checked, she was out on the field.”</em>
</p><p class="">The bell rang throughout the room, signaling the end of school.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Alright, I’ll go look for her.”</em>
</p><p class="">I walked out of the drama club’s room as Natsuki stared at me swiftly leaving.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Heh. That loveable baka.”</em>
</p><p class="">I walked outside as Erito was in the hallways.</p><p class="">“Peter! Did you see what’s happening?”</p><p class="">I shook my head as Erito pointed outside.</p><p class="">“Look!”</p><p class="">I looked outside, to see Tomoyo surrounded by a bunch of men.</p><p class="">“Who are they?” I asked Erito.</p><p class="">He shrugged.</p><p class="">“I don’t know. But things aren’t looking too hot right now.”</p><p class="">There were people watching the confrontation as well from the looks of it.</p><p class="">“Tch. I’ll go help her.”</p><p class="">I rushed down the hallways as Erito tried to stop me.</p><p class="">“Not again, Peter! Not another fight!”</p><p class="">I smirked back at him</p><p class="">“If there’s one thing I love, it’s a good fight!”</p><p class="">Erito looked at me as he sighed a sense of disappointment. I quickly moved down the staircases as I made my way to the atrium of the school, and into the front gate.</p><p class=""><em>“Peter?”</em> Tomoyo asked.</p><p class="">I looked up, as I saw a few recognizable faces.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Weren’t you the guys a while back who got beaten up by her?”</em>
</p><p class="">One of the members scoffed.</p><p class="">
  <em>“No. But we would love to do the same to her!”</em>
</p><p class="">I crossed my arms as I stepped forward. I sighed as I stood next to Tomoyo.</p><p class="">
  <em>“What’s your deal, guys?”</em>
</p><p class="">One of the members spoke.</p><p class="">
  <em>“That woman humiliated us! In front of the entire school! Now it’s time for her to pay.”</em>
</p><p class="">I chuckled.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Come on, you can’t be serious.”</em>
</p><p class="">I continued.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Come on, let’s just solve this all like real men. With words and our brain, and just not our fists.”</em>
</p><p class="">Woah. Where did that come from?</p><p class="">
  <em>“Sure, when we’re done beating all of you up!”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em>“Yeah, what are you, her boyfriend?”</em>
</p><p class="">I scoffed.</p><p class="">
  <em>“No, just a friend looking out for another friend.”</em>
</p><p class="">Tomoyo smiled as she leaned in next to my ear.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Now I owe you 2. One at the bridge, and one now.”</em>
</p><p class="">I smiled as I spoke.</p><p class="">
  <em>“So, what will it-”</em>
</p><p class="">A fist was thrown in my direction as I easily caught it.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Be.”</em>
</p><p class="">I sighed and breathed in.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Alright! You did it first, not me.”</em>
</p><p class="">I bent his wrist as I gave him a swift uppercut. He stumbled back as I readied myself in my fighting posture, eager to see what will happen next.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Got you!”</em>
</p><p class="">Another one of the members tried to strike me, as I easily evaded when a kick sent him back.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Tomoya?”</em>
</p><p class="">I looked back as Tomoya grinned.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Now we’re even. Basketball match and what-not.”</em>
</p><p class="">He looked back.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Tomoyo stay back, we’ll tell you later.”</em>
</p><p class="">Tomoya nodded as she stood back, with me nodding.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Good, if she fights, her chances of being president is wiped.”</em>
</p><p class="">Tomoya smiled.</p><p class="">
  <em>“You read my mind.”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em>“Any room for one more?”</em>
</p><p class="">Erito smiled as he rolled his sleeves up. We smiled and nodded at each other as I questioned him.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Why? I thought you hated fighting?”</em>
</p><p class="">Erito chuckled.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Yeah, I do. But there are always exceptions.”</em>
</p><p class="">The 3 of us got ready, as we charged towards the members.</p><p class="">
  <em>“GRAAH!”</em>
</p><p class="">I swiftly struck one of the members straight in the liver as he fell back in pain. I felt a punch to my right shoulder as I swiftly maneuvered and countered with a right hook.</p><p class="">
  <em>“Alright, who’s next?”</em>
</p><p class="">I dodged an attack as I retaliated with a grab of the arm, twisting it behind his back as I kicked him towards the ground. Tomoya and Erito were holding their own quite well, as expected.</p><p class="">I jumped backward as I presumably met their boss.</p><p class=""><em>“Ho, I’m going to enjoy this.”</em> I said with a smirk.</p><p class="">He charged me head-on as I felt a punch to my chest, wheezing the air out of me. I gritted my teeth as I returned a punch straight to his gut, headbutting him additionally. I kicked him onto the floor as I pounced on him, ready to strike, fist up with a charged up attack.</p><p class="">
  <em>“THAT’S ENOUGH!”</em>
</p><p class="">We all stopped as we saw the head of school glaring at us with his arms crossed.</p><p class="">
  <em>“MY OFFICE. NOW!”</em>
</p><p class="">…</p><p class="">And just like that… suspended.</p><p class="">Natsuki was busy whisking a bowl of cake batter as she yelled at me through the kitchen counter.</p><p class="">“What were you thinking?! Why would you do that?!”</p><p class="">I shrugged.</p><p class="">“I don’t know. Tempers were high for me at that time, with everything involving the student council and what-not.”</p><p class="">Natsuki sighed as she put the batter to bake.</p><p class="">“So, what now?”</p><p class="">I looked at Natsuki through the kitchen.</p><p class="">“Well, I took the blame for Tomoyo so she wouldn’t be suspended.”</p><p class="">Natsuki closed the oven as she beeped some buttons.</p><p class="">“Yeah, but at the cost of suspending you, Tomoya and Erito.”</p><p class="">I chuckled as Natsuki continued.</p><p class="">“Tomoya’s being visited by his other senior friends, and Erito’s got Monika. And here I am, stuck with this loser.”</p><p class="">I laughed as Natsuki sighed.</p><p class="">“Geez, where did I teach you to become like this?”</p><p class="">I saw Natsuki smile at me light and wholeheartedly as she removed her cooking mittens. She walked up and sat next to me in her bean bag as we both watched anime.</p><p class="">“Say, Peter. Did you hear what happened to Tomoya?”</p><p class="">I looked at her.</p><p class="">“About his arm?”</p><p class="">Natsuki nodded.</p><p class="">“Yeah, about his arm.”</p><p class="">I nodded in return.</p><p class="">“Yeah, had something to do with his father.”</p><p class="">The room was silent once more, as only the sound of the anime played.</p><p class="">“You had… issues with your father right?”</p><p class="">I flinched up as I automatically clenched my fists with anger. Natsuki looked at me as she quickly apologized.</p><p class="">“No, no it’s alright. It’s just… I don’t really like to talk about it.”</p><p class="">The room fell silent once more, as something in my chest was growing. It was compelling, like something inside of me wanted to say something, open up to Natsuki. But why? Why her?</p><p class="">Why-</p><p class="">“It’s… rather straightforward.”</p><p class="">What the? Fuck it.</p><p class="">Natsuki looked at me as I began.</p><p class="">“It’s just. My father was a huge asshole to put it to the lightest. He was a drug dealer, bringing in good money, but always spending it on himself. Our house was a mess, our family a disaster, our relationships in ruins… it was all downhill.”</p><p class="">I continued as Natsuki looked longingly at me.</p><p class="">“When you become a father to whoever, or whatever, you have a responsibility you know? To protect, help, care, and be fruitful so to say with and to your family. But my dad, he just threw it all away.”</p><p class="">I looked down.</p><p class="">“God knows why. He’s always terrorized me, leaving freedom to my sister and hurting my mom as well.”</p><p class="">I gripped my beanbag.</p><p class="">“Every day when I went home, I would fear for my fucking life, even if my physical appearance said otherwise. I felt a hole in my chest every time I heard the clanging of beer bottles, coupled with the door swinging violently open to my house. It was tough… really tough.”</p><p class="">I looked at Natsuki.</p><p class="">“But ever since I moved away, I’ve got a better future here you know? Fresh faces, new friends, a welcoming environment, excellent peers, all of that good stuff.”</p><p class="">Natsuki looked back at me.</p><p class="">“Do you think... you’ll ever forgive your father?”</p><p class="">I looked startled at the question, then looked up.</p><p class="">“I’m… not sure. I hope so. I got away from that wretched place, so that I could better myself and come back to help them. That was the last promise I made, before I left Baltimore.”</p><p class="">I booped Natsuki on the nose as she looked startled.</p><p class="">“And I got the best babysitter in the world to help me right? Natsuki Gushiken, world's best babysitter and teacher to Peter Hatake.”</p><p class="">I continued to look at Natsuki, as her face turned redder than a tomato by the second. She slapped me across the head harshly as I grabbed it in pain. The room stayed silent, as the noise of the TV played across the room.</p><p class="">Along with the rustling sound of Natsuki’s beanbag inching closer, as it touched and connected with mine.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Chapter 15: Club Revival!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class=""><em class=""><strong class="">Feature: Italics</strong></em> <strong class="">mean speaking in Japanese.</strong></p><p class=""> </p><p class="">
  <strong class="">Chapter 15: Club Revival!</strong>
</p><p class="">Everyone gathered inside the Drama Club’s designated room, with Tomoyo speaking up.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“So, what’s the plan here?”</em>
</p><p class="">Tomoya spoke up.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Well, we really want to perform at the upcoming festival, but unfortunately, the stupid Student Council as of right now, is blocking this club from forming.”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“And?”</em>
</p><p class="">Sunohara spoke.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“We want you to become the next Student Council President, which is a position you’re already going for from what I heard.”</em>
</p><p class="">Tomoyo nodded in response.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Correct, but it won’t be easy.”</em>
</p><p class="">Natsuki agreed and responded.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Alright, how are we going to do this?”</em>
</p><p class="">The whole Drama Club, or the “almost-there” Drama club, stood together and all looked at Tomoyo.</p><p class=""><em class="">“We just need YOU, to become Student Council President. Not so hard, right?”</em> Tomoya said.</p><p class="">We all nodded, with Tomoyo looking at us.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“I really appreciate your help guys, but as Natsuki said in the beginning, how are we going to do this?”</em>
</p><p class="">I thought long and hard and spoke.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Looking at you right now, your standing in the school isn’t really one that’s flashy, nor one that stands out. You’re kind of like Sunohara over there, except you’re only known for-”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Beating other gang members up?”</em>
</p><p class="">I nodded in return.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Yeah, something like that.”</em>
</p><p class="">The room fell silent once again, when Sayori’s voice was heard.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Well, maybe she should try boosting your reputation.”</em>
</p><p class="">We all looked at Sayori, as she smiled.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“I was thinking like, you competing against some sports clubs, so people know that you’re the real deal! That way, people will see you as more of an asset, and a leader, hence a perfect candidate for the Student Council position!”</em>
</p><p class="">We all nodded our heads gleefully like a cult.</p><p class=""><em class="">“You’re a genius Sayori! That’ll work out perfectly!”</em> Kousei said.</p><p class="">Sayori beamed with delight as Tsubaki gave out a point.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“I heard there’s a tennis competition happening soon, so maybe you could enter and try to win the entire thing! That way, your standing in the school will definitely increase!”</em>
</p><p class="">Natsuki tried to speak up but was cut off by Yuri.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Not only that, but you could also do some other things, such as community services and helping out in the school. They might be a bit overlooked, but it could really make a big impact.”</em>
</p><p class="">Tomoyo smiled and nodded.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Alright, we’ll start off with that and go from there!”</em>
</p><p class="">The sound of the bell came upon us, as we all took our things and packed up for the day.</p><p class=""><em class="">“That took quite a long time.”</em> I said to Tomoya.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Yeah, took us the whole class to find such a simple idea and solution.”</em>
</p><p class="">We both smiled and laughed at each other, content with the day.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Any plans, Peter?”</em> Kaori asked while walking up to me.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“You want me to be third-wheel to you and Kousei? No thanks.”</em>
</p><p class="">We both laughed as I cleared my throat.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Nah, in all seriousness I got a shit ton of homework to do. Senior levels maths is not the way to go.”</em>
</p><p class="">Kaori laughed at me as disappointment was painted all over my face. We all exited the Drama Club’s room and locked the door, when I looked at Natsuki.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Heading this way?”</em> I asked as I pointed down the hallway to the left.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Yeah. Just go.”</em>
</p><p class="">Natsuki and I both walked together down the hallways, as we waved goodbye to the others who were heading the other direction.</p><p class="">Well, when I say “us”, it’s more like it’s just me.</p><p class="">I continued to walk down the hallways; turning my head and looking at a pouting Natsuki.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“You look oddly disappointed.”</em>
</p><p class="">Natsuki looked away.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Well, yeah. I was the one who came up with that idea, but Sayori and her loud mouth just had to go and take credit for everything. Also with Yuri, I was the one who said that she should do the little things, like helping around the school and community service and what-not.”</em>
</p><p class="">Natsuki sighed.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Sometimes I feel so damn small! Yes, physically I know, but it’s like I’m so… irrelevant. I’ve done so much, and yet, it’s like nobody ever thanks me. I was the one who came up with the idea for Tomoyo to become a Student Council President.”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Actually, I-”</em>
</p><p class="">I could feel my stomach and the sides of my body ache, as I stopped mid-sentence to avoid any potential bashing.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Don’t worry, you’ll get credit for everything we do together anyways at the festival, so it’ll all even out in the long run. Just keep it in your heart that if Tomoyo ever does get elected, that you were the one that made it all happen.”</em>
</p><p class="">I smiled as I shrugged.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“I did say you were the best babysitter to me.”</em>
</p><p class="">Natsuki chuckled.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“You’re starting to sound like Naruto, Peter. Always so positive.”</em>
</p><p class="">I chuckled back in response.</p><p class=""><em class="">“What can I say? Except that you were the one that showed me such things.”</em> I said while laughing.</p><p class="">Natsuki smiled smugly as I continued.</p><p class=""><em class="">“Natsuki Gushiken, the Drama Club’s savior!”</em> I said as I extended my arms and hands.</p><p class="">Natsuki laughed as she too put out her hands.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Natsuki Gushiken, the Drama Club’s savior, and the one to feed all the people at the festival!”</em>
</p><p class="">…</p><p class="">“You sure you don’t want to come with us? My treat!”</p><p class="">Erito asked me this as we both walked down the school’s hallways.</p><p class="">“Erito, this is like the 1000th time you’ve asked me to eat “linner” with you. What the hell’s a “linner”?</p><p class="">Erito laughed.</p><p class="">“The best time to eat the best food! The combination of a post-lunch and a pre-dinner, therefore “linner”!</p><p class="">Erito looked at me.</p><p class="">“You don’t look so impressed.”</p><p class="">I laughed.</p><p class="">“Probably because “linner” is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”</p><p class="">Except that… I always ate “linner”...</p><p class="">“Why don’t you go with Monika? How are you going to leave your girlfriend behind for me?”</p><p class="">Erito shoved me a bit.</p><p class="">“Isn’t it obvious? Without you, my life wouldn’t be as so picturesque as it is right now. You’ve taught me so many things, you’re like my sensei.”</p><p class="">I chuckled.</p><p class="">“Sensei?”</p><p class="">Erito nodded.</p><p class="">“Yeah! Sensei Peter! You can do anything you want to do!”</p><p class="">I looked down.</p><p class="">“Yeah, except fix my fucking family.”</p><p class="">Erito put his hand on my shoulder.</p><p class="">“Hey, don’t say that. As you said, you’re going to come back for them and fix them, help them change, and save them from what they are right now. You just need to learn a few things.”</p><p class="">I looked at Erito as he continued.</p><p class="">“Even a sensei learns, we must always stay curious, and always strive to be better.”</p><p class="">I smiled, as Erito pointed at me.</p><p class="">“Once again, your words to me, not mine.”</p><p class="">I laughed.</p><p class="">“Wow. Must say that I’m quite impressed now.”</p><p class="">We both spoke in unison.</p><p class="">“Except for “linner.”</p><p class="">We both laughed and walked to the school’s gate, as Erito walked in the opposite direction and met up with Monika.</p><p class="">“See ya, sensei!”</p><p class="">I looked with an annoyed face and waved goodbye to Erito, watching him and Monika walk down the sidewalk covered and coated by the cooling of the orange sun above.</p><p class="">They deserve each other.</p><p class="">I walked home alone, gazing at the river to the right of me when I saw Tomoyo sitting on a grassy hill just below me. I walked up behind her and spoke.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Pre-show blues?”</em>
</p><p class="">Tomoyo didn’t even look startled, and was mostly calm as she looked back.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Yeah, I guess you could say that.”</em>
</p><p class="">I put down my things onto the grass and sat next to Tomoyo, both of us gazing at the gushing of the river.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“What’s up? Something you need help with?”</em>
</p><p class="">I pulled out my pencil from my bag.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“I can help you with maths, while you focus on your Student Council campaign.”</em>
</p><p class="">Tomoyo looked at me and chuckled as she waved me off.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“No, it’s not that.”</em>
</p><p class="">I put away my things back in my bag, when Tomoyo spoke.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Do you know why, I wanted to become the Student Council President?”</em>
</p><p class="">I looked at Tomoyo.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Because the idea was suggested by Natsuki and funneled through me?”</em>
</p><p class="">Tomoyo laughed in response.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Partially, but really, it was all in the beginning.”</em>
</p><p class="">We both looked ahead at the sunset.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Do you remember the first day that I met you, when I walked up to you caressing the cherry blossoms?”</em>
</p><p class="">I thought for a second, then nodded.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Yeah, I remember that. Why?”</em>
</p><p class="">Tomoyo nodded.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Do you remember what you said after?”</em>
</p><p class="">I shook my head.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Not that I can recall, no.”</em>
</p><p class="">Tomoyo looked at me.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“You told me to try for the Student Council. You were the one that made me have that idea.”</em>
</p><p class="">I laughed and scratched the back of my head.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Really? Sorry, I tend to forget things.”</em>
</p><p class="">Tomoyo laughed.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“No worries, but there’s another thing that really fueled me on this campaign.”</em>
</p><p class="">I looked at Tomoyo.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“What is it?”</em>
</p><p class="">Tomoyo looked ahead once more.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“It’s my family. My brother, more specifically.”</em>
</p><p class="">I continued to look at Tomoyo, with her continuing.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“It all really began, way back when, before I transferred here to Tokyo. Our family wasn’t really that tight-knit as it is now, with Father coming home late, Mother having emotional instabilities, and my brother bottling it all up and hiding it all.”</em>
</p><p class="">Tomoyo cleared her throat.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“I was never a good elder sister. I always ignored him, always thinking he was okay, and never confronted him on occasions when I should have. I was never a team player either. I always ignored our family problems, thinking they would either go away, or it was really stupid. Except, I was the one being foolish here. Ignoring my problems and tossing them aside was what really broke the stability.”</em>
</p><p class="">Tomoyo continued.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“One day, it was the breaking point, and our parents were in the midst of a divorce. They both continuously argued on and on about which parent would get what child, and what would happen after. I didn’t care, sitting on the living room couch, thinking about things other than the present moment.”</em>
</p><p class="">Tomoyo looked ahead, then at me.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“My brother, however, he took it really hard. I still remember him crying the day that it happened, wanting both of them to stop. Sadly, they didn’t listen, and with him being still an irrational kid at that time, he went right along with his emotions, and acted upon them.”</em>
</p><p class="">I looked at Tomoyo.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“What happened after?</em>
</p><p class="">Tomoyo looked ahead once more.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“He basically did what Erito did. He said that he wouldn’t accept any either parent and that for them to see their mistakes, he would have to do something drastic for them to wake up. With that, being to jump off a bridge and into a river, potentially taking out his own life at a very high percentage.”</em>
</p><p class="">I looked down.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Damn. I’m sorry to hear that.”</em>
</p><p class="">Tomoyo looked at me.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Thanks, but it’s alright. He made it out alive, but we all thought that he was going to pass on. I still remember crying with our parents in the emergency section of the hospital, wishing and praying for him to come back to our family, as by now, he had helped us wake up.”</em>
</p><p class="">Tomoyo looked up and smiled.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“That day, when he was discharged from the hospital, we all walked together as a family, with him in a temporary wheelchair. He pointed up to the cherry blossoms from on top of us, covering each one of our family members like a guardian angel. He said that he wished for them to stay and not to be cut down, which is where my motive stems from.”</em>
</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“So that’s why, you wanted to keep them so badly, like you initially said to me when we first saw each other.”</em>
</p><p class="">Tomoyo nodded.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Exactly. That, and to also now help the Drama Club be reformed again.”</em>
</p><p class="">I smiled and nodded.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“That… was quite an interesting story if I do have to say so myself.”</em>
</p><p class="">Tomoyo smiled.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Thanks. It really means a lot, coming from the person who’s helped me so much, and to such a tremendous level.”</em>
</p><p class="">I laughed.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“You’re starting to sound like Erito now, going on about “Sensei Peter” and what-not.”</em>
</p><p class="">Tomoyo laughed.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Sensei Peter huh? Sounds about right.”</em>
</p><p class="">I laughed back.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Just Peter is alright. I don’t want to be a big man, I just want to be an ordinary person.”</em>
</p><p class="">Tomoyo laughed.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“With your abilities and talents? I find that hard to believe.”</em>
</p><p class="">A silence came between us once again, with the only audible sounds being that of the nature around us. The gushing of the river’s waters, the rustling of the tree leaves, the swaying of the grass below, and the sounds of the animals around us.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“What about you? I heard your one is quite rough, probably the roughest one I know.”</em>
</p><p class="">I looked down with a melancholy expression, then looked at Tomoyo.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“It’s qui-”</em>
</p><p class="">*THUMP!*</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“AH!”</em>
</p><p class="">I felt a kick to my back as I yelped and leaped up from the ground, rubbing it in pain.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“WHERE WERE YOU?! I WAITED OVER HALF AN HOUR FOR YOU TO COME TO PREPARE FOR THE FESTIVAL!”</em>
</p><p class="">Natsuki fumed with anger as I quickly took my things.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Oh shit! I forgot! Really!”</em>
</p><p class="">Natsuki slapped me on the back.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Then get your ass moving! Our festival won’t prepare itself!”</em>
</p><p class="">I looked to Tomoyo and apologized as I quickly walked towards the bakery.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Sorry Tomoyo, I’ll see you soon, yeah?”</em>
</p><p class="">Tomoyo looked at Natsuki and I walked down the sidewalk, as she verbally abused and physically harassed me for not showing up on time.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Those two… they’re like peanut butter and jelly. Such polar opposites, but working in combination oh so well. One has the emotional capacity of a gnat, along with him being completely reserved and physically vibrant. The other one, has the emotional capacity of a behemoth, and is a total jerk to everyone she doesn’t like, with her being the complete opposite of physical vibrancy, imitating that of a toothpick/toothbrush.”</em>
</p><p class="">Tomoyo laughed.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“They’re essentially made for each other, complimenting each other’s needs, and filling in the voids of one another.”</em>
</p><p class="">...</p><p class="">The day was quite warm, as the hot yellow sun beat down upon us. The school day had just ended once more, with the whole Drama Club coming out to support Tomoyo’s Tennis match. It was a good opportunity for her to show that she’s not just some merciless beating machine.</p><p class=""><em class="">“You excited?”</em> Watari asked Tomoyo.</p><p class="">“Yeah, except is kind of boring not going to lie.”</p><p class="">Watari laughed and got Tomoyo ready with her sports equipment along with Tsubaki as I waited in the spectator’s area.</p><p class="">“Who’s her opponent?” I asked Natsuki as I pointed to a boy around Tomoyo’s age getting warmed-up and ready.”</p><p class="">“Oh, he’s just one of the school’s top tennis players.”</p><p class="">“What?!”</p><p class="">I looked on in shock.</p><p class="">“Do you think Tomoyo can win?” I asked Natsuki as I leaned in and whispered.</p><p class="">Natsuki gave me a light slap on the arm.</p><p class="">“Of course, what happened to your confidence?”</p><p class="">“Going against first-team tennis player in our school happened!”</p><p class="">Natsuki chuckled.</p><p class="">“Don’t worry, when you have me as a supporter, you’ll never lose. Remember the basketball game? Granted, I didn’t support YOU obviously, but you still won against the first-team players.”</p><p class="">I nodded.</p><p class="">“Fair enough.” I said as I laughed and looked on. “Looks like the match is about to start.”</p><p class="">With a blow of the whistle, the match began.</p><p class="">Tomoyo was looking good for her skillset, even though I’m pretty sure she mentioned about her playing tennis a while back. Still, though, it seemed like athletically, she could do anything.</p><p class="">“Hyahh!”</p><p class="">With every volley and hit, Tomoyo returned the ball over the opposite side with a clear finesse and knowledge of the game. Even though tennis was utterly boring for someone with the likes of me, it drew me in quite a bit, watching those 2 play against each other.</p><p class="">The game was quite intense if I do say so myself, with each set and point being traded against each opponent. It was a harsh back and forth, with the lime green ball being tossed over and over again across the net, and into each opponent's side.</p><p class="">“Are you biting your nails, Natsuki?”</p><p class="">I looked at Natsuki and asked the question as she quickly shushed me.</p><p class="">“What happened to your confidence?”</p><p class="">“First-team happened!”</p><p class="">The ball was viciously hit across the net, with the loud smack of the ball against the racket being much more audible than any other surrounding sound. The skidding of the shoes against the court, and the sounds of human fatigue ran throughout the air.</p><p class="">Why was I so invested in this game? Why is it always the little things that are the best, and are so intriguing?</p><p class="">*SMACK!*</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Watch out!”</em>
</p><p class="">The ball flung from the opponent’s racket and into the spectators stands as it collided head-on with Nagisa, who was sitting just below me.</p><p class=""><em class="">“You okay, Nagisa?”</em> Natsuki asked as we all looked on.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Yeah, I’m fine, don’t worry about it.”</em>
</p><p class="">The opponent of Tomoyo’s walked over and bent down.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Sorry about that, let m-”</em>
</p><p class="">*PUSH!*</p><p class="">The whole crowd was stunned and shocked at the sudden appearance of Tomoya’s hand, blocking the other person from touching Nagisa. The atmosphere was silent. Like the loudest silence, you have ever heard.</p><p class="">
  <em class="">“Come on, Nagisa, let’s go to the nurse’s office.”</em>
</p><p class="">Nagisa nodded as Tomoya and Nagisa both left with each other, as we all stared in shock.</p><p class="">Well, not all of us.</p><p class="">“I totally called that.” Natsuki murmured.</p><p class="">“Called what?”</p><p class="">Natsuki pointed.</p><p class="">“Them obviously, couldn’t you tell they were totally into each other?”</p><p class="">I paused for a moment.</p><p class="">“Sorta. They did always hang around each other, even going to their residences.”</p><p class="">I shrugged and smiled in response.</p><p class="">“Sorry, I’m denser than lead when it comes to emotions like that.”</p><p class="">Natsuki looked at me, like she expected me to say something else, then looked away and blushed.</p><p class="">“Just forget I said anything.”</p><p class="">Just then, the sounds of crying could be heard as Kyou and Ryou both burst into tears, with Tomoyo just looking on at Tomoya and Nagisa walking with each other.</p><p class="">“Did you call that?”</p><p class="">Natsuki looked on.</p><p class="">“More like 50 percent. When you see the person you like walk away from you just like that, so abruptly, while being made so clear… it hurts you know.”</p><p class="">Natsuki spoke in a quiet voice as she looked down.</p><p class="">“Luckily, I don’t think I’ll ever have that feeling.”</p><p class="">“Hmm?”</p><p class="">I looked at Natsuki, who stopped looking down and looked at me, with her face turning redder than a chili.</p><p class="">“Did you say something?” I asked. “You’re turning a bit-”</p><p class="">Natsuki elbowed me in the gut, then sat down in a huff.</p><p class="">“Hmph. But that’s what makes you such a loveable idiot…”</p><p class="">…</p><p class="">I walked down the school’s hallways and into the Literature Club room, opening the door.</p><p class="">“What’s going on?” I asked.</p><p class="">The girls were all huddled together, anxious about something as they all stared at the intercom of the school.</p><p class="">“Shh! The Student Council Elections are coming through!” Natsuki hissed.</p><p class="">I didn’t respond with anything and simply placed down my belongings and made my way to one of the tables.</p><p class="">“When do they announce it?”</p><p class="">“Just a few seconds now…”</p><p class="">The girls and I looked in awe, with the sound of the intercom ringing throughout the school.</p><p class="">“Here it is…!” Sayori said excitedly.</p><p class="">We all stared at the voice box attached to the wall.</p><p class="">“Greetings Students of TPHS, is it a pleasure to announce the new Student Council President for the new school year!”</p><p class="">Some rustling of papers was heard over the speaker, with the voice coming on again.</p><p class="">“And it looks like… our new Student Council President is…”</p><p class="">It was like the whole world was waiting for this answer.</p><p class="">“Tomoyo Sakagami!”</p><p class="">“YES!”</p><p class="">Natsuki slammed the table in a fit on joy as we all celebrated the winning of Tomoyo’s presidency.</p><p class="">“I knew it! I knew we could do it!” Sayori said out loud.</p><p class="">Monika and Yuri clapped as well, with me smiling.</p><p class="">“Now the Drama Club and definitely be revived for sure!” Monika said.</p><p class="">The door suddenly violently swung open, with Kousei and Kaori stepping in.</p><p class="">“Did you hear? The-”</p><p class="">“Yes! We heard!”</p><p class="">Kaori and Sayori leaped with joy, with me still sitting firmly in my chair.</p><p class="">“You see? When we all band together, nothing can stop us!”</p><p class="">Natsuki walked up to me and urged me to stand up.</p><p class="">“Come on, be more excited!”</p><p class="">I laughed back.</p><p class="">“I am! Just trust me.”</p><p class="">Natsuki waved me off and joined her friends to celebrate, as I looked up.</p><p class="">“You did it Tomoyo. The Cherry Blossom trees, the Drama Club, all of them will be saved.”</p><p class="">It was a while after, with the Literature Club now preparing for the upcoming festivities.</p><p class="">“Alright! Can we have an inventory check!”</p><p class="">Monika pulled out a piece of paper and a pencil, and pointed to everyone.</p><p class="">“Okay… Sayori and Yuri, decorations are in order correct?”</p><p class="">Sayori and Yuri both put up a beautifully decorated banner, along with some amenities.</p><p class="">“Yep, got it right here”</p><p class="">Monika smiled and nodded in approval, as she proceeded to point to herself.</p><p class="">“Excellent. And for me… the song of Your Reality and the piano…. Check.”</p><p class="">Monika pointed and Natsuki and I.</p><p class="">“And our confectionary crew, is everything alright for the festival?”</p><p class="">Natsuki nodded.</p><p class="">“Of course, thanks to me, we got our cupcakes and miniature snacks primed and ready to go!”</p><p class="">My face bore an annoyed expression, with Natsuki scoffing and pointing at me.</p><p class="">“Right, and he’s helping too.”</p><p class="">“Very funny.” I responded back in a monotone voice.</p><p class="">Monika laughed as she continued to look at the both of us.</p><p class="">“And you’ll also be doing the food walkway after, correct?”</p><p class="">“Absolutely! Once again, because this loser asked me to do so.”</p><p class="">Monika nodded as I looked to Natsuki, who bore a smug grin to my dismay.</p><p class="">Great. Now Natsuki’s gone from total bitch, to a wholesome bully towards me.</p><p class="">“Alright! Looks like everything’s primed and ready to go! Just a matter of about… 2 days from now.”</p><p class="">The entire club was excited as I looked outside the window and to the school’s walkway below. Banner’s flew high, with multiple decorations already being set and ready to be on display.</p><p class="">Natsuki walked next to me, eyeing out the window as well.</p><p class="">“So… where do you want to set up?” She asked.</p><p class="">Natsuki continued to peer outside, her head moving from left to right.</p><p class="">“I don’t really know… maybe there?” I responded back with.</p><p class="">I pointed to the middle center of the walkway, the one which appeared with the most space.</p><p class="">“The middle? That’s like a hotspot!” Natsuki protested back.</p><p class="">I smiled.</p><p class="">“So? Your food is made by you after all, which automatically makes it really good. People are going to love it, so we need the most space we can get.”</p><p class="">I looked at Natsuki.</p><p class="">“And plus, I know how much you love the attention. About not wanting to be irrelevant. I’m doing this for you too, you know.”</p><p class="">“For m-me?”</p><p class="">Natsuki scoffed.</p><p class="">“Just shut up you baka.”</p><p class="">Natsuki’s face got red, as she quickly looked away and back outside the window. I turned around and looked back.</p><p class="">“Oh, what’s this festival called again?” I asked.</p><p class="">Yuri poked her head up.</p><p class="">“It’s a Tanabata festival, usually held on July the 7th. Don’t worry about what you’re going to be doing, everything will be explained there.”</p><p class="">“Wait.. this is your first time right?” Sayori asked.</p><p class="">I nodded.</p><p class="">“Of course, so I’m obviously very eagerly excited. I never had anything like it back in my hometown, so it’s going to be a new experience for me.”</p><p class="">Sayori beamed with joy.</p><p class="">“Oh, you’re going to have so much fun!”</p><p class="">I smiled and whipped my phone out from my pocket.</p><p class="">“3:48 PM, July 5th.” I thought to myself.</p><p class="">I looked outside the window, with Natsuki’s fire-extinguisher colored face peering from the side of my vision.</p><p class="">“It won’t be long now, huh?” I muttered as I continued to peer out the window.</p><p class="">Natsuki whispered as well.</p><p class="">“Yeah, it won’t.”</p><p class="">I smiled.</p><p class="">“Well then, let’s make my first taste of the festivities here blast then, right? With Natsuki Gushiken by my side, I guess I’m never bound to fail.”</p><p class="">Natsuki’s face got even redder, like a piping hot piece of iron.</p><p class="">“Yeah. Peter Hatake and Natsuki Gushiken are going to knock it out of the park.”</p><p class="">We both looked at each other and smiled, with Natsuki’s face still emitting a red hue and avoiding my eye contact.</p><p class="">But we were both ready, eager for the things to come.</p>
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